Steffen Geyer

I was born in 1979 in Suhl, Thuringia. Living through the upheaval of German reunification shaped my view of the relationship between the state and its citizens. The Thuringian Forest sparked my love of nature.

I moved to Berlin in 1998 to study law. The city’s diversity and the many ways people live together quickly won me over. Today, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Since 2001, I have been active in the German civil rights movement for the legalisation of cannabis and other psychoactive substances. Today, I am one of its recognisable public faces. My work combines political communication, public relations and project organisation.

I work at the intersection of politics, public debate and civil society. I organise demonstrations, write speeches, speak at events, explain complex laws in plain language and bring people together.

I answer questions on drug policy, particularly human rights, cannabis social clubs and the experiences and perspectives of people who use drugs. I also speak about industrial hemp. I support journalists and researchers with their research, help them find interview partners and give interviews myself.

In media interviews, policy discussions and parliamentary hearings, I advocate for evidence-based drug policy grounded in individual freedom, with a focus on decriminalisation, regulation and education.

I believe democratic participation extends beyond parliament. That is why I work with citizens’ initiatives, associations, political parties, and educational and cultural organisations.

I served as assembly leader of the Hanfparade from 2003 to July 2026. I directed the Hanf Museum Berlin until March 2025. As chair of the CSCD, I represented German cannabis social clubs.

Human rights and humanism guide my political work, including within the cannabis legalisation movement. I advocate for these principles in public debate and on social media.

I bring these positions to discussions, public events and policy debates. On 6 November 2023, I represented the CSCD at the German Bundestag Health Committee’s public hearing on the Cannabis Act.

Together with Georg Wurth, I co-authored the non-fiction book “Rauschzeichen – Cannabis: Alles, was man wissen muss” (Cannabis: Everything You Need to Know), published by KiWi in 2008. It explains how cannabis affects the body, the role it plays in our culture, and the opportunities and risks associated with legalisation.

In 2009, the BZgA recommended “Rauschzeichen” to relatives of cannabis consumers.

My main strengths are press relations, political communication and leading projects and teams. I apply this experience in political, cultural and educational projects.

• Hanfparade: coordinated an organising team of 15 and around 100 volunteers.
• Hanf Museum: responsibility for 10 permanent staff and around 20 hourly staff.
• adriAkustik Liedermacher:innenfestival: press relations, website and leadership of 78 volunteers.

See my résumé for professional experience, work samples and references.

Photography has been part of my life for many years. I specialise in concert and portrait photography and enjoy capturing events in expressive images.

You can see a selection of my photography on Instagram.

In 2020, I discovered poetry as a new form of expression. What began as playful experimentation has become a valued way of working through conflict and making sense of life. When the world overwhelms me, something wonderful happens, or a thought needs help finding its way out of my head, I put my suffering – and my passions – on paper.

With Geyerlei Gereimtes, I have created a home for my poems, songs and prose. The tenants look forward to your visit.