Which cannabis associations are approved in Hamburg?

Status: October 2026. The approved cannabis associations in Hamburg are listed by the Bezirksamt Hamburg-Altona in a PDF. The list covers associations that hold a cultivation licence from this district office. The page gives no date for the list. For that reason, this article does not state a number. It shows where to find the list and the rules that apply to all associations.

Where the list is

The Hamburg consumer protection pages on hamburg.de link to the list of approved cannabis associations as a PDF file named Whitelist. The responsible body is the Bezirksamt Hamburg-Altona, Fachamt Verbraucherschutz, Gewerbe und Umwelt (consumer protection, trade and environment department). Anyone looking for an association can open the list there and check whether its name appears.

The list only shows that a licence has been granted. It does not show whether an association is accepting new members. That information comes from the association itself, under its articles of association.

What a licence means in Hamburg

Under § 11(1) KCanG, shared cultivation and passing cannabis on to members require a licence from the competent authority. In Hamburg, the Bezirksamt Hamburg-Altona is responsible. The application must be made in writing or electronically and must contain the information and evidence required under § 11(4) KCanG. Without a licence, a group may not grow cannabis together and pass it on to members.

A licence obliges the association to appoint a prevention officer, whom the board appoints (§ 23(4) KCanG). The association must also draw up a health and youth protection concept (§ 23(6) KCanG).

Who can become a member

Only people who are at least 18 years old and have a residence or habitual abode in Germany can become members of a cannabis association (§ 16(1) and (4) KCanG). A person may be a member of only one cannabis association (§ 16(2), second sentence, KCanG). An association may have at most 500 members (§ 16(2), first sentence, KCanG).

Anyone wanting to change associations should check the articles of association first. They govern admission, contributions and participation. The rules of each association are set by its articles, not by the law.

What applies even without an association

The list does not change the rules for private possession. From the age of 18, possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis is permitted (§ 3(1) KCanG). At the place of residence or habitual abode, up to 50 grams of flowers is permitted (§ 3(2) No. 1 KCanG).

Home cultivation is limited to a maximum of three cannabis plants at the same time (§ 9(1) KCanG). Cannabis from home cultivation may not be passed on to third parties (§ 9(2) KCanG). Consumption in schools, on children’s playgrounds and in children’s and youth facilities is prohibited, including within sight of them (§ 5(2) KCanG).

Prevention in the city

In cities, consumption quickly comes into the view of children and young people. The law therefore prohibits consumption in pedestrian zones between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. (§ 5(2) KCanG). The Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) points out that the young brain is in an important stage of development. Anyone advising young people can start from there.

A minor has no access to the enclosed premises of an association (§ 23(1) KCanG).

Where you can get further information

The list is on hamburg.de, and the text of the law is on gesetze-im-internet.de. For questions about a particular association, the Bezirksamt Hamburg-Altona is responsible. For questions about your own use, the Sucht und Drogen Hotline can help.

What members should check before joining

The list says that a licence exists. Before joining, it is worth looking at the articles of association, which govern admission, contributions and participation. You should also know that a person may be a member of only one cannabis association (§ 16(2), second sentence, KCanG).

Anyone changing associations should end the old membership first, because a person may be a member of only one cannabis association. For joining, the age limit of 18 and the condition of a residence or habitual abode in Germany apply (§ 16(1) and (4) KCanG).

Prevention around associations

Consumption in the vicinity of schools, children’s playgrounds and youth facilities is prohibited (§ 5(2) KCanG). Parents and teachers can raise this in conversation before a situation arises.

The Sucht und Drogen Hotline also helps if you first only want to know where to find local counselling.

How a district office differs from a state office

In Hamburg, a district office (Bezirksamt) grants the licence. In other states, a state office or a Regierungspräsidium takes on this task. Responsibility follows the state’s organisation. Anyone asking in another federal state must therefore find the body responsible there.

The same federal law applies in every state. The application, the required information and the duties on prevention and youth protection are set out in the KCanG (§ 11 and § 23 KCanG).

What you can do now

• Open the list on hamburg.de and check the name of the association.
• Ask the Bezirksamt Hamburg-Altona for the status of the list, because the page gives no date.
• Read the articles of association of an association before you join it.
• For questions about your own use, call the Sucht und Drogen Hotline: 01806 313031.

For individual questions about penalties or possession, a specialist lawyer can help. More on prevention and youth protection is available on the youth protection page. For the position in another state, see the article on Lower Saxony.