ByWill Yakowicz,
Forbes Staff.
In
April 2024, Germany legalized recreational marijuana, becoming the largest country in Europe to turn green. There are currently 28 EU countries with some form of legalization, whether for medical marijuana or adult use. So for now, the EU market is small when it comes to cannabis sales. This year sales are expected to reach $1.2 billion, according to a report by Prohibition Partners. It is projected to reach $2.6 billion in 2028 and $6 billion in annual sales within a decade, or more than a 400% jump from this year.
Germany, which is the EU’s largest economy and the continent’s largest legal marijuana market with about $500 million in sales last year, is expected to generate just under $1 billion in sales at the end of 2025. The UK, which has not been part of the EU since Brexit in 2020, currently has a legal medical market with about $255 million in annual sales.
