Published
Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 09:30
- As of April 1st, laws around the drug have relaxed nationwide, meaning people can now carry up to 25g for personal consumption.
Germany's partial legalisation of cannabis has been welcomed by clubs in Berlin, though some say little will change on the dance floor.
The new law came into effect on April 1st, meaning people can now carry up to 25g for personal consumption, grow up to three plants at home and smoke in designated areas in clubs. From July 1st, so-called "cannabis clubs" can supply up to 500 members with a maximum monthly allowance of 50g.
Two years ago today, April 20th, hundreds of people gathered outside Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to protest in favour of legalisation. This is why the new law has come as a relief for many of the city's venues and party people.
Erika Siekstelyte, cofounder of Wedding club Panke, is one of them. "You're welcome to sit on our outdoor patio and enjoy a joint with a coffee or a glass of wine," she told RA. "The fight to legalise cannabis in Germany has been ongoing for decades, so this legalisation is encouraging and we hope it will become an example for other European countries where cannabis laws are still very strict."
For other venues like Renate, legalisation feeds into a wider harm-reduction narrative. Speaking to RA, spokesperson Zoe Eulental said legalisation marks a "significant change" for Berlin's nightlife, representing "a shift towards more progressive drug policies and aligning with a safer nightlife approach." Visitors to Renate, she added, can smoke cannabis in the garden and at its open-air sister venue, Else, which reopens next weekend.
But another Berlin-based promoter, who didn't want to be named, was quick to point out that people have been smoking cannabis in the city's clubs for years. "It doesn't really make a difference for Berlin ravers, but it's nice we can now spark up outside the airport," he told RA.
He said Berliners have been sharing memes that joke how Berlin looked exactly the same before and after legalisation. "Every underground electronic music venue I know allowed the consumption of weed and didn't say anything as long as it was a reasonable amount–and most often the police turned a blind eye too."
The other side of the story, he added, is that the legislation–while useful in places like Bavaria, "where they can fuck you up for just one joint"–is also a ploy to win votes. "The German government is the most fascist leadership we've had in 26 years and they're trying to be sexy for young people with this fake legalisation–but for Berlin, nothing changes," he said.
Earlier this week, the Berlin Club Commission published guidelines around cannabis and clubbing, advising people to consume responsibly and to understand that each venue will have its own policy. Spokesperson Lutz Leichsenring also told RA that he thinks legalisation will attract more tourists to Berlin.
"It's been a long time coming but this will finally help decriminalise people who have been smoking cannabis in Germany for decades," he said. "I think it's part of our reality that people smoke weed–legalisation is the right decision. It's very late arriving, but now we have it."
Read the Berlin Club Commission's guidelines.
Photo: Wesley Gibbs