In 2025, the government declared a war on drugs. The news spread like wildfire in the media that the government plans to take more decisive action against drug use in the future. As part of this, several important changes came into effect on June 15, 2025, particularly in terms of penalties and diversion conditions.

What does drug possession mean?

According to the Criminal Code, anyone who cultivates, produces, acquires, possesses, or imports/exports/transports drugs into the country is committing a crime. This continues to be punishable by imprisonment for 2-8 years.

However, anyone who consumes drugs (or acquires, possesses, or orders a small amount of drugs for consumption, or imports them into the country, in the absence of a more serious crime) can expect a maximum of 2 years’ imprisonment.

What has changed since the summer of 2025? The most important changes are as follows:

Ordering drugs is now a punishable offense: Until now, ordering drugs – for example, from a website – was not a punishable offense in itself. From now on, however, if someone orders drugs for importation into the country, it is considered a separate, completed crime.

Penalties have been tightened: 

The legislator’s goal is clear: to curb drug use and distribution. In practice, this means that fewer lenient sentences and more prison time can be expected in cases involving larger quantities or repeat offenses.

The possibility of diversion has been significantly reduced: 

Diversion (treatment for drug addiction) has been one of the most commonly used and favorable options for drug users. If (among other conditions) the act was classified as consumption and the consumer admitted to the act and participated in diversion, they were not punishable. From now on, however, diversion is only possible if the perpetrator reveals the circumstances of the offense and thereby helps to identify the seller.

This can be used a maximum of two times. Anyone who has already taken advantage of this cannot be exempt from liability a third time. These changes are expected to drastically reduce the number of diversions.

What does this mean for consumers in practice?

Drug-related cases are extremely complex, as it matters what the circumstances of the offense are, how much was involved, what the purpose of the purchase was, how the offender cooperates, and what their criminal record is. These factors essentially determine whether someone is eligible for diversion or risks several years of imprisonment. Therefore, each case requires individual consideration, and it is strongly recommended to involve a lawyer as early as possible.

If you have any questions or are personally affected by this issue, please feel free to contact us.