Legal and Illegal Sources of Cannabis in Germany Shortly After Legalisation

Abstract The aim of this study is to examine cannabis sources shortly after the legalisation of recreational cannabis possession and cultivation and liberalisation of medical cannabis prescription in Germany in 2024. In a cross-sectional survey, past 12-month cannabis sourcing was captured using a multiple-choice item with eleven responses. Latent class analyses (LCA) grouped people according to their sourcing behaviour. A subsequent multinomial regression model examined variations in class membership concerning sociodemographic, cannabis-related, and health variables. Among n = 1478 past-year cannabis users, 50.7% obtained some or all of their cannabis from legal sources. A majority reported a mix of legal and illegal sources (28.6%), predominantly social sources (20.5%) or predominantly illegal sources (15.0%). A minority of users obtained cannabis mostly from home-cultivation (13.5%) or pharmacies (12.3%), while some did not obtain but only co-used cannabis that someone else obtained (10.2%). Shortly after the cannabis reform, demand was mostly met by illegal sources.