They now risk going out of business. But that's not what worries him most. They will have to go to the dealers at the railway station, who also sell ecstasy and heroin. The government loses tax revenue, while the Mafia gets rich. There are an estimated 4.5 million cannabis users in Germany.
Possession is illegal, but in many L nder police are told to turn a blind eye to small quantities.
Short of going to the dealers or driving to Holland, the most convenient way of obtaining the stuff was to grow one's own. Mr Kruse looks sad as he leafs through a Dutch catalogue. But all is not lost, because German ingenuity has found a loophole. But the package contains 10 little seeds. Mr Kruse is not sure he will get away with this scam, but the industry has high hopes of another product.