This article originally appeared in High Times’ 50th Anniversary print issue. It has been updated to reflect the Czech Republic’s January 1, 2026 cannabis legalization taking effect and the January 27, 2026 European Court of Justice ruling against Hungary on cannabis rescheduling. Get the print edition here.
Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin. Europe’s cannabis capital keeps moving. And a January court ruling against Hungary just changed who controls where it moves next.
Europe in Numbers
A continent at the crossroads of cannabis reform.
45%
French adults who have tried cannabis at least once
36 t
Cannabis Spain exports annually (around 40% of EU total)
1968
First controlled cannabis sales in the Netherlands, at Paradiso and Melkweg
2026
Year Czech Republic legalized adult-use cannabis. Hungary lost its EU court case the same month.
Looking at France’s current crackdown on cannabis, it’s hard to imagine that back in the 19th century Paris was actually Europe’s cannabis capital, or more precisely, the capital of hashish. Shipments would arrive through the port of Marseille and fuel the country’s supply. The French have long been among the continent’s heaviest smokers, and back then the resinous elixir was part of social and artistic life. The most famous gathering spot was the “Club des Hashischins,” founded in 1844, where intellectuals, writers and artists, including Charles Baudelaire, Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo, came together in rituals of experimentation with the substance.
Year after year, France stays at the top of Europe’s weed charts. The European Drug Report 2025, published by the recently rebranded European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA, formerly EMCDDA), confirmed it: 45% of the French have tried cannabis at least once in their lives, despite the tough repression they face, which likely means many users didn’t even admit it. But even while leading in consumption, France hasn’t been the …
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Author: Anita Krepp / High Times
