Frankfurt And Hannover Prepare For Cannabis Sales Study Amid Health Alarms Over Black Market Contamination

Recreational cannabis sales will launch in Hannover and Frankfurt next year under a pilot program set to last five years. The German news service Tagesschau reported that the mayor's office said that around three such stores will open in Hannover, according to Benzinga’s translation. A similar model will be introduced in Frankfurt.

A recent study conducted by Sanity Group, one of Germany's leading cannabis companies focusing on medicinal marijuana, CBD wellness products and adult-use cannabis, confirmed that approximately 80% of cannabis sourced from the illegal market is contaminated with banned pesticides, cocaine, COVID-19 and even feces. In response to these alarming results, Frankfurt is planning a scientific study in collaboration with the Frankfurt University of Applied Science. Four specialty shops will sell clean cannabis products to "Registered participants only,” said Elke Voitl, Frankfurt’s Social and Health Councillor, during a press conference on Wednesday.

Proposed rules and regulations include a limit of 50 grams per month per person. Participants must be aged 18 or older, in good health and registered residents of Frankfurt. It is expected that thousands of people will take part in the experiment.

“There will also be mandatory discussion groups,” stated Arthur Schroers, head of Frankfurt’s Drug Department. Only with these measures can the city and university gather the necessary data “to assess the project’s impact in the end.”

Voitl also stressed that the goal behind the project is to "minimize harm," adding that the city will collect data and connect participants to support systems in an effort to reduce consumption.

Prices for the products will be determined based on potency and black market rates. Profits will be taxed, with a portion going to addiction prevention projects.

Partial cannabis legalization took effect in Germany on April 1, allowing people over 18 to legally possess up to 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three plants at home. One of the biggest breakthroughs under the law is that medical cannabis is essentially regulated like ibuprofen.

Read Also: German Medical Marijuana Sales To Reach $1.09B By 2028, New Report

Get Benzinga's exclusive analysis and the top news about the cannabis industry and markets daily in your inbox for free. Subscribe to our newsletter here. If you're serious about the business, you can't afford to miss out.

In Hanover, Project Is Supported By The Clinic For Psychiatry

In Hanover, the project is supported medically and scientifically by the Clinic for Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Hannover Medical School (MHH), writes MNH, according to Benzinga’s translation. Under the project, up to three sales outlets will be placed in the city area. Around 4,000 people are expected to take part in the study. Cooperation partners in the project are the City of Frankfurt and Sanity Group.

"The data from this study could form an important basis for shaping a future-oriented drug policy in the future," said Prof Dr Kirsten Müller-Vahl. The managing senior physician at the Clinic for Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy is the cannabis expert responsible for the scientific part of the project in Hanover.

Hanover’s Lord Mayor Belit Onay signed a declaration of intent for the project and said "We want to recognize social realities. Long before the political debate, the number of people consuming in all age groups in Germany was on the rise. We hope to find answers to the question of whether this model enables better integration into the support system and improved youth protection, as well as helping to displace the illegal market. The results will form the basis for future political decisions. The cooperation with the city of Frankfurt also enables us to exchange experiences at a municipal level."

Under the project, participants are not allowed to give purchased products to third parties. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the study.

Read Next:

• Germany’s Most Populous State Approves First Cannabis Cultivation Application

Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ursi via Shutterstock