Cannabis club Exotic Kingdom in Fulda: First extension in Bavaria starts!

Cannabis club Exotic Kingdom in Fulda: First extension in Bavaria starts!

Fulda, Deutschland - On April 25, 2025, the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) in Hessen announced that the cannabis social club "Exotic Kingdom" in Fulda received an growing license. This step is crucial because the club is one of the first in Bavaria that is entitled to grow cannabis. The license was granted on April 23, 2025 and the association plans to start cultivation in one or two months. With this approval, "Exotic Kingdom" is part of the growing movement of cannabis social clubs in Germany.

The club's headquarters are located in Fulda, while the cultivation hall in Bad Brückenau is to be located in Lower Franconia. There the club is expected to produce up to 300 kilograms of cannabis for its members a year. The number of members is limited to a maximum of 500 people, with an admission fee of 200 euros and monthly contributions of 25 euros. The aim of the association is to push the black market back and strengthen youth protection. The club was founded at the end of 2022 and has developed prevention courses and security concepts since then, which have arisen in cooperation with the psychosocial advice center for addiction problems from the Caritasverband Bad Kissingen.

attachment and legal framework conditions

cannabis social clubs (CSC) are designed as clubs for the community cultivation of hemp plants. Members may receive 50 grams of cannabis a month if they are over 21 years old and 30 grams if they are under 21 years old. The "Exotic Kingdom" growing license is initially valid for seven years. Even if the club now has a license, the political situation for cannabis legalization in Germany remains uncertain. Advertising space for the clubs is prohibited by law, and distance rules to schools and kindergartens must be observed.

On April 1, 2024, the Consumer Cannabis Act came into force in Germany, which allows the cultivation and possession of cannabis for adults in limited quantities. These legal framework conditions promote the establishment of such clubs, which not only want to act as a contact point for cannabis users, but also want to contribute to combating the black market. However, a high bureaucratic effort can be charged on the approximately 150 -approved cannabis social clubs, and in Bavaria the approval has so far remained a rarity.

social effects and perspectives

A first balance of legalization shows that there have so far been no significant changes among consumer prevalence. However, an increase in consumption is expected in the medium term, especially among young adults. It is estimated that there are around 4.5 million cannabis users in Germany, and the number has doubled in the past 15 years. Nevertheless, alcohol remains the main cause of traffic accidents, while the influence of cannabis consumption in Bavaria rose by 27 % in 2024.

The political discussions about legalization show how controversial the topic is still. While some parties, such as the CDU and CSU, are calling for the abolition of the law, there are model projects for controlled taxes of cannabis in many cities to further reduce the black market. Scientific supports from universities and municipalities are planned to better understand the effects of legalization.

The cannabis social club "Exotic Kingdom" thus represents an important step in the role of cannabis in German society and shows how local initiatives can contribute to the legalization and regulation of cannabis.

For more information, the articles from op-online href = "https://www.fuldaerzeitung.de/fulda/cannabis-club-aus-fulda-erhaelt-anbauzenz-zweig-in-bayern-9369862.html"> Fuldaer Zeitung and Deutschlandfunk consulted.