Kiffen meaning: effects, risks and what German cannabis law allows
By the Golden High teamUpdated 24 October 202610 min read
Cannabis in Germany
Kiffen meaning, in short: kiffen is the informal German word for ‘smoking cannabis’, usually in a joint, and the Duden dictionary files it under slang, defining it as ‘smoking hashish or marijuana’. Since 1 April 2024, Germany’s recreational cannabis law has allowed adults to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis, with clear limits on where you can use it and on driving. Here is where the word comes from, what happens in the body, how long the effects last, which risks the authorities name and where Delta-P fits into the picture.
Grinder Metal Weed Gold Edition
A metal grinder with a gold finish: an even grind in a size that slips into your pocket.
From8,90 €View product →
OCB Premium Papers
The classic rolling paper: ultra-thin, an even burn and almost no taste of its own.
From0,90 €View product →What the word means
Kiffen meaning: a slang word.
‘Kiffen’ is a regular (weak) German verb (kifft, kiffte, hat gekifft) that the Duden explicitly marks as slang. It means smoking hashish or marijuana. The Digital Dictionary of the German Language (DWDS) stretches it a little further: smoking or inhaling cannabis products. Among the typical word pairings it records are ‘regularly’, ‘every day’ and ‘kiffen legally’.
The word has travelled a long way. The verb comes from ‘Kif’, a mix of dried hemp leaves. According to Wolfgang Pfeifer’s etymological dictionary, German borrowed it in the 20th century from the English kif, which in turn comes from the Arabic kaif, roughly ‘pleasure, well-being’.
- Word type: regular verb, informal (slang).
- Meaning: smoking or inhaling hashish or marijuana.
- Origin: from ‘Kif’, via English, from the Arabic ‘kaif’.
- Related terms: the joint (a rolled cigarette of cannabis and tobacco) and the ‘Stick’, its smaller version.
Joint, bong, space cake
How you smoke it changes the effects.
Germany’s Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG, formerly the BZgA) describes the most common methods on cannabispraevention.de: cannabis is mostly smoked, sometimes vaporised or eaten. The main difference is how quickly THC reaches the blood, and therefore how easy it is to predict the effect.
| Smoked (joint, bong) | Eaten or drunk | |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | Almost immediate | Delayed, often sudden |
| Peak | After about 15 minutes | Hard to predict |
| Duration | Usually 2 to 3 hours | Around 5 hours depending on the dose |
| Main problem according to the BIÖG | Airways; a bong gives far more smoke per hit | Dose hard to judge, easy to overdo |
| Unfit to drive (RRRCK guidelines) | Around 6 to 8 hours | Around 8 to 12 hours |
A bong works like a shisha without the hose and delivers far more smoke per hit: the effect comes faster and stronger, and according to the BIÖG it is more dangerous. A vaporiser heats the material until it turns to vapour instead of burning it; the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) warns against home-mixed liquids. Why baked goods are so unpredictable is explained in detail in Space cake: effects, duration and risks.
What happens when you smoke
Kiffen and its effects: what the authorities say.
The main active substance in cannabis is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). According to drugcom.de, the BIÖG’s portal, the effect depends a lot on the person, the setting and the mood: ‘smoking doesn’t always work the same way’. Here is the data you can rely on.
BIÖG · drugcom.de, drugs glossary
Effects described as pleasant: a lifted mood, relaxation, well-being, chattiness, a more intense perception of sounds and images. As unpleasant: low mood, restlessness, anxiety, panic, confusion and even feelings of being persecuted. Panic is more common among beginners.
BIÖG · cannabispraevention.de
Short-term risks include anxiety and panic, a ‘horror trip’, memory gaps, hypersensitivity and hallucinations; physically, a racing heart, nausea or dizziness. Fainting from a drop in circulation is also possible.
MSD Manual · professional edition
A racing heart, red eyes and a dry mouth are common, and appetite often increases. Concentration, the sense of space and time and depth perception can stay impaired for up to 24 hours.
BIÖG · drugcom.de, the heart
Cannabis can speed up the pulse. Studies suggest a higher risk of heart attack in the hour after use.
Red eyes, a hugely popular search in Germany, are therefore one of the physical effects regularly described, just like a dry mouth. If a session goes wrong, calm helps more than rushing around: what you can actually do is covered in Bad trip: what to do. All the references are at the bottom of the page.
The risks
Kiffen and its risks: mental health, dependence, the brain.
- Dependence. According to the BIÖG, roughly one in eight people who use cannabis becomes dependent; the risk rises with weekly use or more. Almost one regular user in two experiences withdrawal symptoms.
- Psychosis. Users develop psychosis more often than non-users. In people who are predisposed, cannabis can, according to drugcom.de, trigger schizophrenia that was previously latent; the risk grows with heavier use and very strong strains (over 10% THC).
- Depression. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health lists depression and psychosis among the possible consequences of long-term use, especially with a personal history or particular sensitivity.
- The brain. The brain keeps maturing until around 25, and THC can disrupt that development (BMG). After years of daily use, learning and memory are weaker; they improve after stopping (drugcom.de).
- Lungs and tobacco. Smoking damages the airways, especially with tobacco. Tobacco in a joint also raises the risk of dependence.
In an emergency: a racing heart with chest pain, fainting or intense panic, call 112. To cut down or stop, the BIÖG runs the free online programme ‘Quit the Shit’ in Germany, and the DHS directory lists support services near you.
The legal framework
Kiffen and the law: what the KCanG allows.
The framework is the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) of 27 March 2024 (BGBl. 2024 I No. 109), part of Germany’s cannabis law (CanG), last amended on 20 June 2024. It lets adults possess and grow cannabis within fixed limits; it does not provide for sales in shops. This is how it came into force:
1 April 2024
The KCanG comes into force: possession for adults aged 18 and over, home growing, bans on use in certain places.
1 July 2024
The rules on growing associations (§§ 11 to 17) come into force. Growing together is only possible with official authorisation.
22 August 2024
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the 3.5 ng/ml THC limit in blood serum applies to driving.
1 January 2025
The rules for deleting old entries from the federal criminal record (§§ 40 to 42) take effect.
The Federal Ministry of Health sums up the rules in force in its FAQ on the cannabis law (updated 4 September 2026). The evaluation required by the law is under way; a full report is due by 1 April 2028 at the latest (§ 43 KCanG).
Bans on use
Where smoking is still banned.
- In the presence of anyone under 18.
- At schools, playgrounds and facilities for children and young people, and within sight of them.
- At publicly accessible sports facilities and within sight of them.
- In pedestrian zones between 7 am and 8 pm.
- On the premises of growing associations and within sight of them.
Under § 5 KCanG, ‘within sight’ ends at more than 100 metres from the entrance of the places concerned; for pedestrian zones, it is the time of day that counts. And the balcony, a very common search? The KCanG doesn’t mention it explicitly. The general bans apply, starting with no minors nearby. Whether neighbours can object to the smoke is a matter of tenancy and neighbour law, not the KCanG.
Behind the wheel
After smoking, no driving.
In Germany, driving with 3.5 ng/ml of THC or more in blood serum is an administrative offence (§ 24a(1a) StVG), punishable by a fine of up to €3,000. With alcohol on top (para. 2a), up to €5,000. For probationary drivers and everyone under 21, § 24c StVG bans alcohol and THC at the wheel completely.
Asked whether you can drive after using cannabis, the BIÖG answers ‘as a rule, no!’. Germany’s harm-reduction guidelines (RRRCK) mention impairment of around 6 to 8 hours after inhaling and 8 to 12 hours after eating, longer depending on the dose. What this means for products under 0.3% THC is summed up in Smoking CBD before driving.
You can’t judge a level of 3.5 ng/ml ‘by feel’. The only reliable rule: don’t use anything on a day you’re driving.
What about Delta-P?
Delta-P is not THC cannabis.
Delta-P is the name of our range: flowers and resins based on CBDX, under 0.3% THC, lab-tested. So it isn’t the same thing as ‘kiffen’ in the sense of the KCanG, which is about THC-rich cannabis. A strain like Amnesia is, in our range, a Delta-P version of that style, not the THC strain.
One key point for Germany: the 0.3% threshold isn’t enough on its own. Under § 1 No. 9 KCanG, hemp only counts as industrial hemp if it is used exclusively for commercial or scientific purposes ‘that rule out misuse for intoxication’. That’s why we don’t claim any product is legal in Germany. What Delta-P actually is, our Delta-P guide explains.
Accessories and harm reduction
Accessories: few, but good.
According to the BIÖG, head shops selling smoking gear are legal in Germany as long as they don’t sell drugs. You don’t need much: a metal grinder for an even grind and thin OCB Premium papers. Everything else is in our accessories range. More important than the kit are a few rules taken from drugcom.de’s harm-reduction advice:
Late and rarely
Start as late in life as possible and no more than once or twice a week. Long-term daily use can harm your health.
Low THC, inhale gently
Choose products low in THC, don’t inhale deeply or hold the smoke in. Avoid tobacco; a vaporiser is the least harmful option.
Don’t mix, don’t drive
No alcohol or other substances, nothing during pregnancy or breastfeeding, never before driving. Adults only.
Your questions
Your questions about kiffen.
Kiffen meaning: what does the word mean?
Kiffen is an informal German word meaning to smoke hashish or marijuana, usually in a joint. It comes from ‘Kif’, which reached German via English from the Arabic ‘kaif’ (pleasure, well-being).
How long do the effects last?
Smoked, the effect starts almost straight away according to the BIÖG, peaks after about 15 minutes and is usually over after 2 to 3 hours. Eaten, it kicks in later and lasts around 5 hours depending on the dose.
Is cannabis legal in Germany?
Since 1 April 2024, the KCanG has allowed adults to carry up to 25 g of cannabis, keep up to 50 g at home and grow up to 3 plants. Bans on use apply, for example near schools, and strict rules cover driving.
Can you smoke on your balcony in Germany?
The KCanG doesn’t mention balconies explicitly. Use is banned in particular in the presence of minors. A dispute with neighbours over the smoke falls under tenancy and neighbour law.
Does smoking weed make you stupid?
According to drugcom.de, long-term daily users perform worse on learning and memory, especially if they started young. This improves after stopping; serious permanent brain damage is not supported by current evidence.
Can cannabis cause depression?
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health lists depression and psychosis among the possible consequences of long-term use, especially with a personal history or particular sensitivity. If you have mental health problems, get medical advice.
How do you stop smoking cannabis?
In Germany, the BIÖG offers the free online programme ‘Quit the Shit’ and the ‘Cannabis Check’ self-test. The directory of the Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen lists support services near you.
Is Delta-P the same as kiffen?
No. Delta-P is our range based on CBDX, under 0.3% THC and lab-tested. We don’t claim it is legal in Germany; all the details are in our Delta-P guide.
Sources
The references cited in this article.
- Federal Ministry of Justice. Consumer Cannabis Act (Konsumcannabisgesetz – KCanG), §§ 1, 3, 5, 34, 36, 43 (in German).
- Federal Ministry of Justice. § 24a StVG and § 24c StVG, German Road Traffic Act (in German).
- Federal Ministry of Health (2026). FAQ on the cannabis law and Cannabis law (updated 4 September 2026, in German).
- Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG). Was bedeutet Kiffen? and Gesundheitliche Aspekte, cannabispraevention.de (in German).
- BIÖG · drugcom.de. Drogenlexikon: Cannabis and Harm-reduction advice for adults (in German).
- MSD Manual. Marijuana (cannabis), professional edition (in German).
- Duden and DWDS. kiffen (Duden) and kiffen (DWDS, etymology after Pfeifer).
