The Police Crime Statistics 2025, presented by the Federal Criminal Police Office on April 20, 2026, provides the first hard data on the effects of cannabis decriminalization. The result is clear: cannabis-related offenses declined by approximately 28 percent compared to the previous year. For the first time, consumption-related crimes no longer account for the majority of all cannabis offenses.
📑 Inhaltsverzeichnis
Consumption Offenses Lose Their Dominance
In total, 42,823 offenses under Section 34 KCanG (Cannabis Act) were registered in 2025. This sounds like a high number, but context is crucial: in the years before partial legalization, simple possession offenses massively inflated the statistics. Adults who carry up to 25 grams of cannabis are no longer committing a criminal offense. The 2025 PKS exemplifies this shift: unlawful possession and unlawful transfer without profit motive now account for only a small portion of the total.
Specifically, 4,218 cases involved unlawful possession and 3,386 cases involved unlawful transfer without profit motive. These are consumption-related violations crossing the boundaries of the legal framework—possession amounts exceeding 25 grams or involving youth protection concerns. Together, these offenses represent less than 18 percent of all cannabis crimes in 2025. A historic shift compared to previous years, when consumers dominated police attention. As the two-year interim report on the Cannabis Act already demonstrated, this trend was evident early on.
Trafficking and Smuggling Now Dominate the Statistics
Unlawful trafficking now leads cannabis offenses with 17,727 cases, followed by smuggling with 7,366 cases. These two categories together account for almost 58 percent of all cannabis crimes. This is not a new phenomenon of legalization, but rather reflects the continuing active black market, which the BKA president recently described as unbroken in a widely noted interview.
Additionally, there were 1,636 cases of unlawful cultivation, 5,207 serious cases under Section 34 paragraph 3 KCanG, and 998 felony-level offenses. The structure of cannabis criminality has fundamentally changed: away from the consumer, toward the dealer and smuggler. This aligns with the stated goal of the Cannabis Consumption Act, which aimed to concentrate criminal prosecution on the illegal market rather than on adult consumption.
Overall Crime Decline
The 2025 PKS shows that the total number of all crimes in Germany fell by 5.6 percent. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt pointed to the cannabis effect, but acknowledged: even if all cannabis offenses were removed from the statistics, a decline of 4.7 percent remains. The decriminalization effect is real, but it does not explain the entire decline.
For the political debate, this is an important clarification. Those who argue that the statistical decline is merely a technical bookkeeping effect of legalization are mistaken. The CanG interim report from April 2026 sketched similar trends; the 2025 PKS now provides official confirmation with reliable annual data.
Other Drugs on the Rise
Alongside the decline in cannabis offenses, the 2025 PKS shows an increase in other substances. Cocaine-related crimes rose by 1.9 percent, methamphetamine-related crimes by 3.0 percent. Offenses involving new psychoactive substances increased by as much as 25.5 percent. This suggests a shift in the illegal market—a consequence that criminologists have described as a possibility since the legalization debate began.
Drawing a direct causal link would be premature. New psychoactive substances have gained significance across Europe independently of cannabis regulation. Nevertheless, these figures are a signal that future evaluations should consider. The cannabis reform has not made drug consumption disappear entirely; rather, it has legally reorganized one specific area and thereby shifted police resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cannabis offenses were registered in 2025?
The BKA registered 42,823 offenses under Section 34 KCanG in 2025. This represents a decline of approximately 28 percent compared to 2024, when combined offenses under old and new law produced considerably more cases.
Why has the number of consumption offenses declined?
Under the Cannabis Consumption Act (KCanG) from April 2024, possession of up to 25 grams is no longer criminal for adults. This eliminated a large portion of previously recorded possession offenses from the statistics. For the first time, consumption-related violations no longer constitute the majority of cannabis crimes.
What are the most common cannabis offenses now?
Unlawful trafficking (17,727 cases) and smuggling (7,366) lead the statistics. Together they account for almost 58 percent of all cannabis offenses. This demonstrates that criminal prosecution is increasingly focused on the black market rather than on consumers.
Has cannabis legalization reduced overall crime?
The total number of all crimes fell by 5.6 percent. Even without cannabis offenses, a 4.7 percent decline remains, showing that the effect is not merely a statistical accounting trick but points to genuinely declining criminality.
What does the 2025 PKS mean for the political debate surrounding the CanG?
The statistics provide for the first time reliable full-year data under the new law. It strengthens the position of those arguing that decriminalization reduces the criminal burden from cannabis without massively driving other offenses. An argument that holds significance in the current debate over possible corrections to the CanG.
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