The Federal Government has answered the Greens‘ minor interpellation (Kleine Anfrage) on cultivation associations and pilot projects. The figures show what has become of the research clause in the Consumer Cannabis Act (Konsumcannabisgesetz): of 82 research projects, four have a licence. The Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung) rejected 20 projects with a total of 44 applications because it classifies them as pilot projects.
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The answer bears Bundestag printed paper 21/8143 and is dated 22 September 2026. It answers the 30 questions that we presented when the interpellation was introduced. In our article on the Greens‘ minor interpellation on the backlog at cultivation associations, we had left open whether the federal government would once again point to the responsibility of the Länder. It has done so, and at almost all of the decisive points.
Cannabis pilot projects: 82 research projects, four licences
Under § 2 paragraph 4 KCanG, the BLE can permit scientific projects involving consumer cannabis. According to the answer, the agency has applications for 82 research projects. Nine of these were received in 2024, 60 in 2025 and 13 in the current year. A single project can comprise several applications. The figure is therefore not directly comparable with the 65 applications that became known in autumn 2025 via printed paper 21/2290.
The status of the proceedings is as follows: four projects are licensed. 29 projects with 53 applications were rejected, and 13 projects with 17 applications were withdrawn. 17 applicants were heard, and 23 projects still have to be reviewed by the BLE. The four licences are not new. They concern industrial hemp, specific varieties, active ingredients and climate-neutral cultivation methods, as we already reported in July on the first four research projects approved by the BLE. Citing data protection, the federal government does not name locations, participants or start dates.
44 applications rejected because they are pilot projects
The core of the answer lies in question 5. 20 of the 29 rejected projects, with a total of 44 applications, failed solely because the BLE classifies them as so-called pilot projects. These are scientifically monitored projects in which adults obtain cannabis through a regulated channel. The remaining nine rejections concern projects without consumer cannabis, predominantly commercial laboratory activity or cases in which a licence under the Medical Cannabis Act (Medizinal-Cannabisgesetz) had to be refused.
22 objections to 14 projects have been filed against the decisions. They are being processed. No one has filed a lawsuit so far. Asked whether its legal opinion has changed, the federal government merely refers to two answers to written questions from October and November 2025. Politically, the justification is brief: the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD does not provide for regional pilot projects with commercial supply chains. The debate itself is old. As early as 2015, a pilot project motion by the Pirate Party in the state parliament failed in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Cultivation associations: the federal government still doesn’t count
On the number of approved cultivation associations, the federal government says it has no current findings. The licence under § 11 KCanG is issued by the Länder. For the first time, however, the answer explicitly refers to the Federal Working Group of Cannabis Cultivation Associations (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis Anbauvereinigungen), which regularly publishes figures. The federal government does not verify these figures. It does not comment on differences in interpretation by the state authorities. A recent ruling shows how far practice diverges, in which the Administrative Court of Würzburg (VG Würzburg) overturned Bavaria’s special requirements for cannabis clubs.
The answer becomes somewhat more concrete regarding the federal-state bodies. The federal government sits as an observing guest in the Länder working group on the Consumer Cannabis Act. The Länder reportedly raised problems there, among other things, with monitoring the quantities passed on and with testing cannabis samples from cultivation associations. According to the federal government, these points are feeding into the ongoing review of legislative amendments.
EKOCAN evaluation: medical cannabis covers up to 30 percent
The Federal Government answers almost all questions about future changes to the KCanG with a single sentence. The Federal Ministry of Health is reviewing the interim reports of the EKOCAN evaluation for necessary legislative amendments. Which points it is reviewing and when a draft might be presented remains unclear. This applies equally to possession limits, home cultivation, consumption bans in certain zones and sanctions.
The answer becomes clear only on medical cannabis. According to the second EKOCAN interim report, medical cannabis now covers 24 to 30 percent of the estimated total demand for cannabis for non-medical purposes. The Federal Government blames telemedicine platforms that prescribe via questionnaire. The Greens had asked whether more legal means of access could reduce this incentive. The answer does not address this. Instead, it refers to the amendment of the Medizinal-Cannabisgesetz, which is still pending in the Bundestag. Background on this is provided by our article on the 300 tonnes of imports and the planned stricter medical cannabis rules.
This leaves a gap that the inquiry was meant to expose. The government describes the detour via private prescriptions as a misguided development. At the same time, it rejects testing another regulated means of access that could absorb precisely this demand. Whether this approach works is hard to judge without data from such trials. The 22 pending objections are therefore more than an administrative procedure. If an applicant were to sue after an objection decision rejecting the objection, a court would have to interpret the research clause for the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cannabis pilot projects have been approved in Germany?
None. The BLE has permitted four research projects under § 2 Absatz 4 KCanG, but none of them provides for supply to consumers. The projects deal with industrial hemp, varieties, ingredients and cultivation methods.
Why does the BLE reject pilot projects?
The BLE classifies projects involving controlled supply to adults as pilot projects and rejects them on that basis. Politically, the Federal Government points out that the coalition agreement does not provide for regional pilot projects with commercial supply chains.
Can applicants take action against the rejection?
Yes. According to the answer, 22 objections relating to 14 research projects have been received and are being processed. After an objection decision rejecting the objection, the path to the administrative court remains open. No lawsuit has been filed so far.
How many cultivation associations are there according to the Federal Government?
The Federal Government gives no figure. By its own account, it has no current findings because the Länder issue the licences. It refers to the figures of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis Anbauvereinigungen, but does not verify them.
Is the Federal Government planning changes to the KCanG?
By its own account, the Federal Ministry of Health is reviewing the interim reports of the EKOCAN evaluation for necessary legislative amendments. The answer names no concrete plans or timetable.
Sollten Cannabis-Modellprojekte in Deutschland erlaubt werden?
Sources: Deutscher Bundestag, Drucksache 21/8143 of 22.09.2026, response of the Federal Government to the minor interpellation of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group (Drucksache 21/7856); Hanfjournal, 29.09.2026; Krautinvest, 28.09.2026.
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