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Section 5 KCanG · Essen

Cannabis no-consumption zones in Essen

Where can you smoke weed in Essen – and where can't you? The map below shows every cannabis no-consumption zone in Essen under Section 5 of Germany's Cannabis Act: 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 in Essen on the map

Low-resolution preview of the map

This app is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legally binding information.

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

This map is just the preview – get the full feature set for free in the app.

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Well-known places

Well-known places in Essen: where can you smoke?

Landmark, park or shopping street: this is how we assess well-known places in Essen under § 5 KCanG – each with its own map extract.

Bubatzkarte Essen: cannabis no-consumption zones around Kettwiger Straße & city centre

Kettwiger Straße & city centre

Kettwiger Straße is a pedestrian zone – and our map data puts an educational institution and two playgrounds right beside it.

Kettwiger Straße between the central station and the minster is Essen’s main shopping pedestrian zone, so the ban under § 5(2) no. 5 KCanG applies between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The immediate surroundings are tight as well: according to our map data a vocational college listed as a school lies about 38 metres from the centre of this extract – though whether a private vocational college counts as a school in the sense of § 5 KCanG is not clear-cut. Less ambiguous are the playground at Hirschlandplatz at about 115 metres and the water playground at about 128, whose zones apply around the clock.

Bubatzkarte Essen: cannabis no-consumption zones around Baldeneysee

Baldeneysee

At this point on the Baldeneysee shore our map draws no zone – the regatta course’s sports grounds start at about 140 metres.

The Baldeneysee in southern Essen is the city’s largest recreation area, with shore paths, sailing boats and the regatta course. According to our map data the stretch of shore chosen here stays clear of drawn zones; four sports areas follow from about 137 metres. Under § 5 KCanG, publicly accessible sports facilities create a zone with a 100-metre radius, so it gets tighter along the regatta course and around the boathouses than on the open stretches of bank. On weekends the circular path is busy.

Bubatzkarte Essen: cannabis no-consumption zones around Grugapark

Grugapark

The Grugapark is ticketed grounds with house rules – and our map draws four playgrounds and three sports areas nearby on top.

The Grugapark is Essen’s big botanical and leisure park and, unlike most parks, charges admission. That is the first legal point: on ticketed grounds the operator’s house rules apply independently of the KCanG – so the park regulations can prohibit consumption even where no zone is drawn. According to our map data, four playgrounds and three sports areas lie within 300 metres on top of that, among them the ropes course, the nearest from about 200 metres. The park is strongly geared towards families.

Bubatzkarte Essen: cannabis no-consumption zones around Zollverein Coal Mine

Zollverein Coal Mine

Our map draws barely any zones on the Zollverein grounds – here it is mainly the house rules that are likely to govern.

The Zollverein Coal Mine is a UNESCO World Heritage site and today a museum and events venue. According to our map data the zone picture here is unusually clear: within 300 metres there is a single entry, a secondary school at about 191 metres, whose 100-metre radius does not reach the core grounds. What governs here is therefore less the KCanG than the house rules of the Zollverein foundation, which can set its own terms for the site. During events, the respective organiser’s rules apply as well.

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

Essen's no-consumption zones in numbers

In central Essen alone, the Verbotszonen App tracks the following facilities that each carry a no-consumption zone:

  • 291School
  • 240Kindergarten
  • 12Daycare center
  • 483Playground
  • 653Sports facility
  • 26Other
  • 1,705facilities in total

Figures cover the inner city of Essen (map extent), 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 in Essen? 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 in Essen include:

Common questions

Smoking weed in Essen: the rules

Where is cannabis consumption allowed in Essen?

Consumption is allowed in Essen anywhere 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. The map shows every zone in Essen at a glance.

Can you smoke weed in the Kettwiger Straße pedestrian zone?

Kettwiger Straße is one of the well-known pedestrian areas in Essen. 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 does Essen have?

In central Essen alone, the Verbotszonen App tracks 1,705 facilities, each creating a no-consumption zone with a 100-meter radius – including 291 schools and 483 playgrounds. Across the whole city there are considerably more.

Can you smoke weed at the Baldeneysee?

A lake with a shore path is not banned across the board under the KCanG, and according to our map data the open stretches of the Baldeneysee’s bank stay clear of drawn zones. It tightens around the sports grounds: the regatta course, boathouses and other publicly accessible sports facilities each create a zone with a 100-metre radius around the entrance. Because the circular path passes many of them, the picture changes several times along the way – and consuming in the immediate presence of minors is always prohibited.

Always with you

The Essen no-consumption zones 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 Essen and all across Germany.

Bubatzkarte Essen – overview of the cannabis no-consumption zones in Essen
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No-consumption zones in other cities