Our Path to the Cultivation License — 10 Months That Were Worth It

Ten months. That's how long it took from the first idea to the official cultivation license. Sounds doable? It was — but it was significantly more work than most people imagine.

It all started in May 2025. Five of us sat together and decided: We're founding a Cannabis Social Club in Hildesheim. The KCanG had been in effect since April 2024, the first licenses were being granted nationwide, and we didn't want to just watch.

Founding the association was the easy part. Writing statutes, holding a founding assembly, notary, association register — bureaucratic but manageable. By September 2025, we were officially registered. What we underestimated: The statutes must be KCanG-compliant. Our first version had gaps in the documentation requirements. The revision cost two weeks. Our advice: Have the statutes reviewed by a specialized lawyer from the start.

In parallel, we developed the addiction prevention concept. The KCanG requires a concrete, implementable concept — not an internet copy. We involved local counseling centers in Hildesheim, developed a self-assessment test and appointed internal contact persons. The concept ended up being 15 pages long and demonstrably accelerated the approval process because the authority saw we take it seriously.

The premises were the biggest bottleneck. Landlords who rent to a Cannabis Social Club? Not easy to find. We made over 20 inquiries before finding our space at Wetzellplatz 2. The requirements are strict: access controls, no visibility from outside, security concept, ventilation system with activated carbon filters. The renovation cost more and took longer than planned.

We submitted the license application in November 2025. Association register extract, statutes, prevention concept, security concept, floor plans, qualification certificates, criminal record checks — a folder full of documents. The authority worked professionally and promptly, but there were still follow-up questions and additional requests. In March 2026, the approval came.

What we would do differently: First, search for premises earlier — in parallel with the association founding, not after. Second, involve more members from the start. Distributing the work among five people was borderline. Third, plan a more realistic budget. Total costs were significantly above our first estimate.

What we did right: Transparency. We communicated openly from the start — toward the authority, toward our members and toward the public. That built trust and opened doors.

If you want to found a CSC yourself: On our "Start a CSC" page, we share our experiences in detail — including cost breakdown, timeline and the mistakes we made. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.