Section 5 KCanG · Basel · German side

Cannabis no-consumption zones around Basel – the German side

In Basel itself smoking weed is prohibited – Swiss law has not legalised cannabis. A few minutes away by tram or S-Bahn, in Weil am Rhein, Lörrach, Grenzach-Wyhlen and Rheinfelden (Baden), Germany's Cannabis Act applies instead. The map shows every no-consumption zone under Section 5 KCanG on the German side around Basel: schools, children's playgrounds, daycare centers, youth facilities and publicly accessible sports grounds, each with the 100-meter radius around its entrance. On top of that, consumption in pedestrian zones is banned between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

No-consumption zones around Basel on the map

For technical reasons, no-consumption zones can only be shown within a limited radius. Please zoom in to see the zones again.

School
Kindergarten
Daycare center
Playground
Sports facility
Other

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The German side

Which towns make up the German side of Basel?

Basel does not stop at the border: in the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel the city, Alsace and the district of Lörrach grow together into one agglomeration. Trams, S-Bahn trains and buses cross the border without a change, and many people commute in both directions every day. Anyone living or working in Basel who wants to consume cannabis legally therefore ends up on the German side almost by necessity – and there the Cannabis Act applies, with all its no-consumption zones.

This page covers the German towns most closely tied to Basel:

Weil am Rhein – around 32,000 residents, right on the border; Basel’s tram line 8 has run to Weil am Rhein Bahnhof/Zentrum since 2014, and the Dreiländerbrücke footbridge leads to Huningue
Lörrach – around 51,000 residents, the largest town in the district; the S6 runs via Riehen straight to Basel Badischer Bahnhof and Basel SBB
Grenzach-Wyhlen – around 15,000 residents on the Rhine east of Basel; Basel’s bus line 38 runs to Claraplatz
Rheinfelden (Baden) – around 35,000 residents; the Hochrhein railway runs to Basel Badischer Bahnhof, and the Alte Rheinbrücke links the town with Swiss Rheinfelden
Inzlingen, Binzen, Efringen-Kirchen, Steinen, Schopfheim – the smaller municipalities around them, some on the S5 and S6 lines

Three countries

Basel, Weil, Huningue: which law applies where

At the tri-border point three legal regimes lie a few hundred metres apart. Only in Germany may adults consume cannabis, within the limits of § 5 KCanG. In Switzerland consumption is prohibited and punished with a CHF 100 fixed fine for adults. In France consumption is a criminal offence, in practice usually settled with a €200 fixed penalty.

The map therefore shows no-consumption zones on German soil only and stops at the border. Beyond it, consuming in public is prohibited anyway – no matter how far away the nearest school is.

Well-known places

Well-known places around Basel: where can you smoke?

Border bridge, park or market square: this is how we assess well-known places on the German side around Basel under § 5 KCanG – each with its own map extract.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Dreiländerbrücke & Rheinpark (Weil am Rhein) — Dreiländerbrücke & Rheinpark (Weil am Rhein)
At the German end of the bridge consumption is likely prohibited – according to our map data a sports area lies at about 86 metres and the Rheinpark playground at about 96.
The Dreiländerbrücke links Weil am Rhein with Huningue in France, spanning the Rhine in a single arch for pedestrians and cyclists. The Rheinpark adjoins it on the German bank, and according to our map data it is densely packed: a chess area at about 86 metres, the playground at 96 and further sports and play areas up to just over 160 metres. On the bridge itself the border runs mid-river – from there French law applies, and it prohibits consumption entirely.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Rathausplatz (Weil am Rhein) — Rathausplatz (Weil am Rhein)
According to our map data the centre of this extract at Rathausplatz lies outside any facility zone – the nearest playground follows at about 173 metres.
Around the town hall and Rathausplatz lies the centre of Weil am Rhein, a few minutes’ walk from the tram 8 terminus. The square is mapped as a pedestrian area in OpenStreetMap; where it is designated a pedestrian zone, the 7 a.m.–8 p.m. ban applies. Facility zones keep their distance: according to our map data a playground lies at about 173 metres, the Kant-Gymnasium at 230 and a daycare centre at 258.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Dreiländergarten (Weil am Rhein) — Dreiländergarten (Weil am Rhein)
In the Dreiländergarten consumption is likely prohibited at the centre of this extract – according to our map data the Kieswerk playground lies at about 90 metres.
The Dreiländergarten was laid out for the Grün 99 garden show and sits right on the border with Basel, next to the Laguna water park. According to our map data the park holds just one mapped facility, the Kieswerk playground – but it lies about 90 metres from the centre of this extract, which puts the centre just inside its zone. A few steps further away you are outside any zone according to our map data; the water park has its own house rules. And mind the southern edge: Basel begins a few metres further on.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Marktplatz (Lörrach) — Marktplatz (Lörrach)
Marktplatz lies within Lörrach’s pedestrian zone – so the 7 a.m.–8 p.m. ban is likely to apply during the day; according to our map data facility zones only start at about 190 metres.
Marktplatz, Turmstraße and Chesterplatz form the heart of Lörrach’s town centre, a pedestrian zone since the early 1990s. During the day the 7 a.m.–8 p.m. window under § 5(2) no. 5 KCanG therefore applies. Facility zones lie a little off: according to our map data a sports area at about 188 metres, daycare centres from 232 metres and the Hebelschule at 243.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Grüttpark (Lörrach) — Grüttpark (Lörrach)
According to our map data the centre of this extract in the Grüttpark lies well outside any zone – the nearest sports area only follows at about 350 metres.
The Grüttpark on the river Wiese is the site of the 1983 state garden show. Around the extract chosen here our map draws no facility within a 100-metre radius: the nearest sports areas lie at about 350 metres, playgrounds from about 430. According to our map data that makes the park one of the larger green spaces without a zone – with the usual caveat: never in the immediate presence of minors.

Cannabis no-consumption zones near Basel: around Haus Salmegg & Alte Rheinbrücke (Rheinfelden) — Haus Salmegg & Alte Rheinbrücke (Rheinfelden)
According to our map data the centre of this extract at Haus Salmegg lies outside any zone – the nearest playground follows at about 143 metres.
Haus Salmegg and its town garden sit at the German end of the Alte Rheinbrücke, which links Rheinfelden (Baden) with Swiss Rheinfelden. According to our map data the riverbank is quiet: a playground at about 143 metres, the nearest sports area only at about 300. Cross the bridge into the Swiss old town, however, and you leave the KCanG behind – on the other bank consumption is prohibited.

All assessments are based on our current map data and can change at any time – new facilities create new no-consumption zones. What counts is the situation on the ground; the live map above and the app always show the current data.

Data sheet

No-consumption zones around Basel in numbers

Between Weil am Rhein and Lörrach alone, the Verbotszonen App tracks the following facilities that each carry a no-consumption zone:

38School
38Kindergarten
2Daycare center
60Playground
126Sports facility
0Other
264facilities in total

Figures cover a map extent from Weil am Rhein to Lörrach that ends north of the border – only facilities on German soil are counted. Data source OpenStreetMap. Each facility creates a no-consumption zone with a 100-meter radius around its entrance.

Pedestrian zones

From what time can you smoke around Basel? Pedestrian zones and the 7-to-8 rule

In pedestrian zones, cannabis consumption is banned daily between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. under § 5(2) no. 5 KCanG – from 8 p.m. it is generally permitted there, unless another no-consumption zone applies. What always counts is how the area is designated on the ground. Well-known pedestrian areas on the German side around Basel include:

Turmstraße – Lörrach – the town-centre pedestrian zone with Marktplatz and Chesterplatz
Basler Straße – Lörrach – the town-centre section
Rathausplatz – Weil am Rhein
Friedrichplatz – Rheinfelden (Baden) – with the adjoining town-centre lanes

Common questions

Smoking weed around Basel: the rules

Where is cannabis consumption allowed around Basel?

Only on the German side – in Basel and in French Alsace consumption is prohibited. In Weil am Rhein, Lörrach, Grenzach-Wyhlen or Rheinfelden (Baden) it is allowed wherever no zone under Section 5 KCanG applies: more than 100 meters from the entrances of schools, playgrounds, daycare centers, youth facilities and sports grounds, outside pedestrian zones during the 7 a.m.–8 p.m. ban, and never in the immediate presence of minors.

Can you smoke weed in the Turmstraße pedestrian zone?

Turmstraße is one of the well-known pedestrian areas on the German side around Basel. Where a pedestrian zone is designated, the ban under § 5(2) no. 5 KCanG applies daily between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. – in the evening and at night consumption is generally allowed there, unless another no-consumption zone applies, such as a school or daycare within sight. Whether an individual stretch is actually designated a pedestrian zone can vary; the signage on the ground is what binds.

How many no-consumption zones are there around Basel?

Between Weil am Rhein and Lörrach alone, the Verbotszonen App tracks 264 facilities, each creating a no-consumption zone with a 100-meter radius – including 38 schools and 60 playgrounds. Grenzach-Wyhlen, Rheinfelden and the smaller municipalities add more.

Can you smoke weed in Basel?

No. In Switzerland consuming cannabis with more than 1 per cent THC is prohibited; adults pay a CHF 100 fixed fine for it. Possessing up to 10 grams for personal use is not punishable, but consuming is. The exception is Basel’s “Weed Care” study, open only to enrolled participants living in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The only place in the region where you can consume legally is the German side, for example in Weil am Rhein or Lörrach – where the no-consumption zones under § 5 KCanG apply.

Can I take cannabis across the border to Basel?

No, in neither direction. The KCanG expressly prohibits importing and exporting cannabis, small amounts for personal use included. Switzerland prohibits importing it too, and so does France. Anyone travelling with cannabis from Weil am Rhein to Basel, or from Huningue back into Germany, commits an offence – customs officers also run checks at the crossings in the region.

Can Swiss residents smoke weed in Weil am Rhein or Lörrach?

The KCanG applies on German soil to all adults, whatever their place of residence – so consuming outside the no-consumption zones is not prohibited for visitors from Basel either. The catch is where the cannabis comes from: they may not bring any along, and cultivation associations only accept members who live or habitually reside in Germany. In practice, a visitor therefore has no legal way to obtain cannabis in Germany.

Does the KCanG apply at Basel Badischer Bahnhof?

You should not assume so. Badischer Bahnhof is operated by Deutsche Bahn and has a special customs status, but it lies on Swiss territory. Anyone consuming there should expect Swiss law to apply – which means a prohibition.

Always with you

The no-consumption zones around Basel in the app

The map here is only a preview: the free Verbotszonen App shows you live, on the go, which no-consumption zones are near you – in Weil am Rhein, Lörrach and all across Germany.