Bavaria Stresses Weed-Free Oktoberfest 2024 Despite German Decriminalization of Cannabis

Bavaria Stresses Weed-Free Oktoberfest 2024 Amid Germany Decriminalizing Cannabis — Walter Mennekes (l-r), member of the board of FC Bayern, his wife Eva, and Michael Diederich, arrive at Käfer tent during the first division Bundesliga football club FC Bayern Munich visit the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on September 24, 2023, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images)

The German state of Bavaria might have to criminalize cannabis during Oktoberfest despite the country decriminalizing it for small doses for recreational use since Apr. 1.

According to the BBC, Bavarian premier Markus Söder insisted that his state would not become a "stoner's paradise" in the lead-up to the preparations for its iconic beer-guzzling party from September to October, warning cannabis users that they would face "strict action."

However, like events across Germany, organizers would now have to navigate new - and complicated - cannabis liberalization laws.

Under the new laws, adults could grow, carry, and smoke limited amounts of cannabis in a move that proponents said would improve quality control and curb the black market.

On the other hand, opponents believed that the changes would actually fuel the black market, be an added burden on police, and damage the health of young people.

Unable to prevent the law from passing at a federal level, unhappy states might be able to signal their resistance through local implementation, with Bavaria being one such potentially doing so.

Bavarian state minister for federal affairs Florian Herrmann said on Tuesday (Apr. 9) that proposals were being examined to allow municipalities to create "cannabis-free" zones, such as "for example, for folk festivals or for the Oktoberfest."

Smoking weed in Munich's well-known public park, the English Garden, could also be prohibited, according to the German Press Agency.

However, some would question whether this tough talk was more a sign of political grandstanding than a hard-edged approach to the law.

The federal regulations detail plenty of places where weed can and cannot be consumed—already effectively creating cannabis-free zones. But it was unclear whether events like Oktoberfest would have already, in effect, been cannabis no-go zones under federal law due to the event being a "folk festival" attended by families and children.