Görlitz cannabis club is the first in Saxony to be approved

The first cannabis club in Saxony is being established in Görlitz. The State Directorate for the Interior, Social Affairs and Health approved the application from the Görlitz association, according to a spokeswoman for the authority. Since the beginning of July, the directorate has received eleven applications for a cannabis club.

According to the authority, no applications have been rejected so far, and one club withdrew its application itself. Once approved, the clubs are allowed to grow cannabis for their own use and distribute it to their members.

The spokeswoman expects further approvals to be granted gradually until the beginning of November. The biggest challenge along the way so far has been the completeness of the documentation. The process is new for both the authorities and the clubs, which is why there are some additional requirements. According to the spokeswoman, the cannabis clubs are spread all over the state, coming from Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz - but also from the state.

Auditing is time-consuming

Approving the applications is time-consuming for the authority: Among other things, inspectors look at the clubs' properties and check the legally prescribed safety distances. It takes around three months to obtain approval and costs between 750 and 2,750 euros, according to the directorate.