Open Seminar with Ludwig Kraus on Evaluations of the Cannabis Legalisation in Germany

Seminar title: Evaluation of the cannabis legalisation in Germany: First results

Ludwig Kraus is a Senior Researcher at the Centre of Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany and an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. His background is in experimental psychology and epidemiology, and his research topics span social and clinical epidemiology of substance use and gambling behaviour, diagnostics, treatment, addiction policy, and prevention. He also acts as an assistant editor of the journal Addiction and the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.

Background information on Kraus´ talk:

With the Cannabis Act (KCanG), which took effect on April 1, 2024, Germany has comprehensively reformed its cannabis policy. The new law permits adults to privately possess and cultivate cannabis, allows for the establishment of non-commercial cannabis cultivation associations, and revises the framework for the medical use of cannabis. Section 47 of the KCanG stipulates that, in parallel with the law’s implementation, an assessment of its societal impacts must be conducted, particularly with regard to the protection of children and adolescents, public health, and cannabis-related crime. The first and second reports by the interdisciplinary research consortium “EKOCAN,” published in October 2025 and April 2026, respectively, contain initial descriptive analyses of the situation following legalisation. The initial findings and preliminary conclusions of these evaluations will be presented and discussed at the seminar.

The seminar is arranged by the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.