Dirk Rehahn isn't popping the champagne corks just yet. "I still don't quite dare celebrate," the entrepreneur says. He already has good reason to, though: Traffic to his two websites has increased massively since February 23.
That was the day the German parliament passed the government's draft law "on the controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for consumption purposes." It stipulates that all adults will be allowed to grow three cannabis plants at home and keep up to 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of cannabis there, and may also carry up to 25 grams on their person.
The law was scheduled to come into force in April, but, according to media reports, it could now be delayed, which is why Rehahn is being cautious. Nonetheless, it already seems clear that, if the law is implemented according to plan, he will be one of the winners.
Rehahn sells all kinds of goods related to cannabis cultivation. They could be described as greenhouse technology and gardening supplies. His best seller is a DIY "grow set": a tent the size of a refrigerator, with lamps, ventilation systems and measuring technology.
The cheapest costs more than 500 euros, the most expensive almost 1,500 euros. Right now, though, they are all sold out. "People are overcoming their reservations about growing their own cannabis," Rehahn told DW.
Rehahn has, in the past, spent two years in jail for assisting the cultivation of cannabis. It was........