The German Hemp Association has changed its legal structure. The sole proprietorship that Georg Wurth has managed since 2004 is now a registered association. It is now officially called „DHV – Deutscher Hanfverband e.V.“ The founding assembly has already taken place, and the registration in the association register has been completed. For Germany’s most important cannabis advocacy organization, this is far more than just a formality.
📑 Inhaltsverzeichnis
From Sole Proprietorship to Registered Association
For twenty-two years, Germany’s best-known cannabis advocacy organization was legally speaking not an association at all, but a company. The DHV itself points out that this structure has regularly caused confusion. When an advocacy group appears before ministries, legislative committees, and media outlets, it is judged by its own organizational structure. A sole proprietorship with a single owner is an arrangement that requires explanation, even if it was legally never questionable.
At the founding assembly, Georg Wurth was elected first chairman. His deputy is Christian Müller, previously the organization’s administrative director. All employees transfer to the association. Personnel-wise, nothing changes, and that is the stated intention. In the bylaws, the organization took care to avoid excessive bureaucratic structures and maintain lean operations, the association states. The efficient workflows from the company era are internally considered a key reason for the reach the DHV has built over recent years.
What Changes for Supporters
The most practically significant change affects supporters. Previous „supporting members“ become „supporters.“ Anyone who has financed the association previously must take action: The DHV has contacted all former supporting members by email and asks them to confirm their support via a confirmation link. Without clicking this link, support does not continue automatically. Anyone who did not receive an email should contact the association directly.
Financially, the transition brings a concrete advantage. Contribution invoices will no longer include sales tax, the same applies to donations. This means the entire supporter contribution goes into the association’s coffers and no longer partially to the tax office. Genuine membership fees that are not compensation for a specific individual service are not subject to sales tax. Since the DHV continues to offer supporters exclusive benefits and welcome gifts, maintaining the clear separation in practice remains an accounting task. The contribution levels themselves remain unchanged and range from 30 euros at the reduced rate to 1,200 euros per year.
Registered, But Not Tax-Exempt
One point remains unchanged despite the new legal structure, and the DHV explicitly points this out on its registration page: The association is not tax-exempt. Payments to it are not tax-deductible. Anyone expecting a donation receipt for their tax return will continue not to receive one.
This is not an oversight but the standard rule for political advocacy organizations. The German Federal Tax Court decided in 2019 in the case concerning the anti-globalization network Attac that general political influence in itself is not a charitable purpose under tax law. Anyone who wants to change policy and does so openly as their primary purpose buys independence by forgoing tax advantages. For the DHV, this is a deliberate positioning. It finances itself through supporter contributions, corporate sponsorships, its own shop, and support from cultivation associations. How sensitive the funding question is in the industry was recently demonstrated by the debate around lobbying and donations surrounding the reimbursement reform.
Why Legal Structure Matters Now
The timing is no accident. The association is currently fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously. It supports the lawsuit against Bavaria’s blocking stance on cultivation associations. Additionally, it is monitoring the planned amendment to the Medical Cannabis Act. It is intended to significantly restrict telemedicine and mail-order sales. In both proceedings, the DHV acts as a commentator and process supporter. A registered association can operate more straightforwardly in such roles than a sole proprietorship, such as in coalition memberships, hearings, or when courts and authorities ask about organizational form.
It is also interesting what this step does not mean. An association structure raises expectations of broad member democracy with delegates and motions. The DHV dampens this expectation itself by deliberately emphasizing lean structures. Supporters are a support category and not a replacement for classical association membership. The organization thus remains a professionally managed campaign organization with a clear direction. This distinguishes it from welfare organizations that occasionally position themselves on cannabis issues, such as the Paritätische welfare association in Bremen, and from the prominent individual lobbyists in the industry. The substantive program remains in place anyway, as the association has already outlined in its concept for cannabis legalization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the German Hemp Association now tax-exempt?
No. The DHV is a registered association, but explicitly not tax-exempt. Supporter contributions and donations are therefore not tax-deductible. For political advocacy organizations, this is the standard because general political activity is not considered a charitable purpose under case law.
What do former supporters need to do now?
They must actively confirm their support. The association has sent an email with a confirmation link that must be clicked. Anyone who did not receive this message should contact the DHV directly. New supporters register as supporters via the new registration form.
Do the supporter contribution amounts change?
The contribution levels remain the same and start at 30 euros at the reduced rate. New is that contributions are no longer subject to sales tax. The complete amount paid is now available for political work. This also applies to one-time donations.
Who leads the new association?
Georg Wurth was elected first chairman, Christian Müller as his deputy. Müller was previously the organization’s administrative director. The rest of the team transfers to the association as a whole; no personnel changes have been announced.
Why does the DHV change its legal structure at all?
The organization cites three reasons: greater independence, better future viability, and the fact that a registered association is the standard organizational form for a political advocacy group. Additionally, the step is intended to end the recurring confusion about the previous company structure.
Sources: Deutscher Hanfverband, announcement „Der Hanfverband wird ein Verein“ from September 8, 2026, and the association’s information pages on supporter contributions; German Federal Tax Court, ruling from January 10, 2019 on the tax-exempt status of political activity.
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