Germany’s nationwide rail company Deutsche Bahn has announced that passengers are now forbidden from smoking marijuana on platforms and in train stations.

Smoking marijuana forbidden at German train stations

Following Germany’s move to legalise cannabis for personal use on April 1, 2024, Deutsche Bahn has amended its code of conduct rules and will now forbid passengers from smoking weed at train stations in the federal republic.

In an announcement on April 21, the rail provider said that posters will be displayed in train stations in the coming weeks, reminding passengers that “smoking cannabis is forbidden in the entire station area”. 

This includes in the designated Raucherbereiche (smoking areas) which exist in German train stations. Passengers will still be allowed to smoke cigarettes in Raucherbereiche, but not cannabis.

For now, station staff will remind anyone who is found smoking cannabis of the new rules. Then, in around four weeks, once the new rule has been formally applied, anyone who smokes cannabis at a station will risk prosecution.

Where in Germany is smoking weed still forbidden?

Under the new cannabis legalisation law, anyone over the age of 18 can grow up to three cannabis plants and keep up to 50 grams of cannabis in possession at home. Adults can carry up to 25 grams of cannabis on their person in public spaces.

However, the new law still limits where cannabis consumption is permitted. Smoking weed remains prohibited within 250 metres of schools, Kitas, playground areas, youth clubs and sports facilities, and is forbidden in pedestrian areas between the hours of 7am and 8pm.

Though cannabis for personal use has been legalised nationwide, Germany’s federal state system means that states retain some powers to introduce their own rules around where and when cannabis can be consumed. 

So far, Bavaria is the only state to formally announce that it will introduce further limitations on cannabis consumption. In late April, Minister Marcus Söder announced that the southern state would introduce a ban on smoking weed at public festivals (Volksfeste) and that local authorities would be given the power to “ban smoking and vaping cannabis products in places where there are many people in a small area, such as at tourist attractions, outdoor swimming pools and parks”.

As with Deutsche Bahn’s announcement, the coming weeks and months will likely bring further restrictions on where and when it is allowed to smoke cannabis. Wherever you are, as a rule of thumb, it may be best to look around for a sign or ask a staff member before you spark up in the park, in a Biergarten or by the lake to avoid a hefty fine.

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