By 1923 he was back in Kassel, editing the "Arbeiterzeitung" ("Workers' Newspaper") for Hessen-Kassel. He was also, during 1923, secretary to the local party leadership team ("Bezirksleitung") for Hesse-Waldeck. In January 1924 he was returned to prison, serving his term in Kassel jail till September of that year. Following several further incidents of (mostly localised) serious violence. the party had been placed under a ban towards the end of November 1923 and Lohagen's offence was "Violation of the Communist Party ban" ("Verstoß gegen das KPD-Verbot"). After 1924 there was some relaxation of the punitive war reparations régime imposed in 1919. The Hyperinflation crisis was successfully addressed and political tensions began to ease. The effect of the Communist Party ban was, on this occasion, relatively short-lived. Between 1924/25 and around 1931 Ernst Lohagen was the leading light of the Communist Party in the Hesse-Waldeck region. He was regional "Policy chief" ("Polleiter") and, from 1926, sat as a member of the for Hesse-Nassau. He also became a member of the Kassel the next year. As the party was faced with savage internal ructions, Lohagen was firmly on the left wing of the party, and as the party moved towards a split he remained aligned with the Stalinist leadership. In February 1928 he was re-appointed to his position as party "Policy chief" ("Polleiter") for the Hessen-Kassel region.