Move one atom, get a new molecule; Germany’s NpSG saw that coming. How its chemical families work, who updates them, and how it differs from the BtMG, KCanG and MedCanG.
Somewhere in a lab right now, a chemist is moving one atom three places to the left and calling it a brand-new product. Somewhere in Berlin, a civil servant with very strong coffee is already reading about it.
That little race is the whole reason the NpSG exists. If you’ve ever seen “NpSG” in a product discussion, a news headline or the small print of a forum thread and nodded politely, this one is for you.
No law degree needed. Just a willingness to hear the phrase “core structure” more often than is strictly fashionable.
Below you’ll find what Germany’s New Psychoactive Substances Act actually is, how its substance groups work, how the annex gets updated, and how it differs from the narcotics act and the cannabis laws. If you were looking for a cannabinoid-by-cannabinoid rundown instead, we keep that in our 2026 list of cannabinoids under the NpSG; and if you’re here because you browse our THC alternatives, the last sections explain what all of this means when you shop.
The short version, in ten seconds
| Law | What it covers | How it lists things |
|---|---|---|
| NpSG (New Psychoactive Substances Act, 2016) | New psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabinoids | Whole chemical groups (Annex 1), plus a short list of single substances (Annex 2, since April 2026) |
| BtMG (Narcotics Act) | Classic controlled drugs and medicines with abuse potential | Individual substances, one by one, in Annexes I to III |
| KCanG and MedCanG (2024) | Cannabis for adults, and cannabis on prescription | The cannabis plant and its preparations, with their own rules |
1. What the NpSG actually is
The Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz, or NpSG, was signed on 21 November 2016 and came into force on 26 November 2016. Its job is to deal with “new psychoactive substances”: compounds designed to mimic the effects of known drugs while slipping around the existing lists. You can read the consolidated text on gesetze-im-internet.de.
The law is deliberately narrow about what it isn’t. According to section 1, it doesn’t apply to narcotics already covered by the Narcotics Act (BtMG), to medicines, or to medical devices. It fills the gap between those laws rather than replacing any of them.
The most recent change to the act itself came from a law dated 7 January 2026, which we come back to below.
2. Groups, not names: how the annex works
The old way of controlling a substance was to write its name on a list. The trouble is that a list of names invites a game of chemical whack-a-mole: change one side chain, and the new molecule isn’t on the list yet.
The NpSG flips that around. Its Annex 1 doesn’t name individual molecules. It describes families of them, usually in three parts:
- A core structure: the molecular skeleton the family shares.
- Permitted substituents: which atoms or groups may hang off which positions, and how long a chain may be.
- Limits: caps on molecular mass, for example 600 u for the HHC-type cannabimimetic subgroup and 500 u for another one.
Anything that fits the description is covered, whether it was synthesised last decade or last Tuesday. That’s the point: the chemist moving an atom three places to the left often lands right back inside the same family.
As of October 2026, Annex 1 lists nine groups. They include compounds derived from 2-phenethylamine, cannabimimetics and synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, tryptamine derivatives and arylcyclohexylamines, among others. The cannabimimetics group is split into subgroups, each defined by its own core structure or set of core structures.
One example shows the mechanism nicely. A regulation in force since 27 June 2024 added a new cannabimimetic subgroup built on the 6H-benzo(c)chromen-1-ol skeleton. Its official explanatory memorandum says the subgroup targets semi-synthetic, THC-derived designer substances and names hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and several derivatives as covered. One description, many molecules. Our HHC explainer follows that story in detail.
3. Annex 2: the newer list of single substances
Groups work well for families of designer molecules. They work less well for a handful of ordinary chemicals that people misuse but that don’t belong to any such family. Less molecular origami, more hardware-store chemistry.
So a law dated 7 January 2026 split the annex in two. The original group list became Annex 1, and a new Annex 2 now lists individual substances with specific conditions: nitrous oxide, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO). The Federal Ministry of Health’s announcement of the Bundestag vote describes the aim: curbing laughing gas and so-called knockout drops, with commercial, industrial, scientific and medical uses still allowed.
According to the consolidated text and the ministry, the rules from 12 April 2026 include:
- no online or vending-machine sales of the Annex 2 substances;
- no supply to minors;
- no acquisition or possession by minors;
- and, written into the law itself, a ban on all handling of nitrous oxide in containers holding more than 8.4 g, plus a ban on selling more than ten containers of up to 8.4 g each in a single sale.
4. How the annex gets amended
Here’s where the NpSG gets its speed. Under section 7, the Federal Ministry of Health can change Annex 1 and Annex 2 by regulation, which is much quicker than passing a new act through the Bundestag.
Quick doesn’t mean casual, though. The same section sets several conditions:
- the Bundesrat must consent;
- the regulation is agreed with the finance, interior and justice ministries;
- experts must be heard first;
- and scientific findings must show the change is necessary because of how the substances act, how widely they are misused, and the direct or indirect risk they pose to health.
Much of the raw intelligence comes from Europe. The 2024 regulation’s explanatory memorandum points to the EU early warning system on new psychoactive substances, run by the EU drugs agency (now the EUDA, formerly the EMCDDA) together with Europol, and fed by national data. In Germany, the memorandum says, information on newly appearing substances comes mainly from law-enforcement authorities.
The ministry keeps a public list of annex amendments. As of October 2026 it shows six regulations:
| In force from | Regulation |
|---|---|
| 18 July 2019 | Amendment of the NpSG annex and BtMG annexes |
| 9 July 2020 | Amendment of the NpSG annex |
| 7 October 2022 | Third amending regulation |
| 16 March 2023 | Fourth amending regulation (a punctuation correction, according to the 2024 memorandum) |
| 27 June 2024 | Fifth amending regulation (the new 6H-benzo(c)chromen-1-ol subgroup) |
| 2 December 2025 | Sixth amending regulation (replaced the annex with a new version) |
An update every year or two, then, with the occasional comma thrown in for good measure. How the December 2025 update is widely read to affect one much-discussed compound (the regulation doesn’t name it) is in our piece on 10-OH-HHC after December 2025.
5. What is prohibited, and what is punished
This is the part that’s easiest to muddle, so it’s worth reading slowly.
Prohibited (section 3): trading, placing on the market, manufacturing, importing, exporting or moving through Germany, acquiring, possessing and administering to another person. There are exceptions for recognised scientific, commercial and industrial uses and for official use by authorities. Police and customs may seize and destroy covered substances.
Punishable as a crime (section 4): trading, placing on the market and administering to others, plus manufacturing or importing for the purpose of selling. The basic penalty is up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine. Aggravated cases, such as acting commercially or as part of a gang, or an adult over 21 supplying someone who isn’t yet 18, carry one to ten years (three months to five years in less serious cases).
Notice what’s missing from the second list: simple possession for yourself. Possessing a covered substance is still prohibited, and it can be taken from you, but the criminal penalties are aimed at supply. The 2024 memorandum says the same about the new HHC subgroup: adding it to the annex is meant to stop the trade in these products without criminalising consumers.
None of this is legal advice, and German courts and authorities apply it case by case. But it does explain why the NpSG works, in practice, as a supply-side law: its criminal penalties target the people who make, import and sell these substances.
6. NpSG versus BtMG: two very different lists
The Narcotics Act, the Betäubungsmittelgesetz, is the older and stricter sibling: the one who still writes every guest’s name on the door list. Section 1 defines narcotics as the substances and preparations listed in its Annexes I to III, so it works name by name.
A few differences matter in practice:
- Who amends it: the BtMG annexes are changed by the Federal Government with Bundesrat consent after hearing experts; in urgent cases the health ministry can add a substance (one that isn’t a medicine) for up to a year without the Bundesrat.
- What is criminal: under the BtMG, unauthorised possession itself can be an offence, not just supply.
- How they connect: once a substance is individually listed in the BtMG, the NpSG no longer applies to it, because the NpSG excludes BtMG narcotics. Some regulations, like the 2019 one in the table above, amended both sets of annexes at once.
A useful mental model: the NpSG is the wide net that catches whole families quickly; the BtMG is the precise list for substances regulators have assessed one at a time.
7. Where the KCanG and MedCanG fit in
Since 1 April 2024, cannabis itself is no longer in the BtMG. It has two laws of its own.
The Cannabis Act (KCanG) grants its permissions (possession, home growing, club membership) only to adults aged 18 and over, and also contains protections for children and young people. Its section 3 allows possession of up to 25 g for personal use, and up to 50 g plus three living plants at home. Its definition of cannabis is tied to the plant, its constituents and preparations, and it separates out industrial hemp, using a 0.3% THC threshold among its conditions. Our guide to what you can buy under the Cannabis Act covers the shopping side.
The Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) covers cannabis for medical and medical-scientific purposes: prescribing, dispensing, permits and supervision. It’s a world of doctors and pharmacies, not shop shelves.
And the NpSG? It sits next to both, dealing with designer molecules, including synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabimimetics described in its annex. Three laws, three jobs, and a lot of people confusing them at parties.
8. What this means when you shop
You don’t need to read structural formulas before breakfast. A few general habits go a long way:
- Look for dates. The annex was amended six times between 2019 and 2025. Any statement about a substance’s status should say when it was true, and anything undated deserves a raised eyebrow.
- Groups beat names. A new trade name doesn’t tell you whether a molecule sits inside an NpSG family. That’s decided by structure, not marketing.
- Read the product page. It should say what the product is, and for flower, the THC content.
- Check where you live. The NpSG is German law. Other EU countries have their own systems, and they don’t all work the same way.
For our own range, our position is simple: we strive to offer only products that are 100% legal throughout the EU, and we watch changes like the ones in the table above.
For adults 18+ only, as always. If you’re trying something for the first time: start low, go slow, and read the product page.
Your NpSG-aware shelf
Finished the homework? Two easy places to start in the shop:
- Try Everything Bundle: seven products in one box, from Super Silver Haze Broad Spectrum to a Trippy 2.1 and a Blinkertone battery.
- Penjamin 3.0: one pen with a screen and seven flavours; the only homework is picking one.
Prefer CBD? Our CBD range is that way. Each product page has the details we publish for that product; rules differ between countries, so please check yours before ordering.
The NpSG, answered
Is the NpSG the same as the BtMG?
No. The BtMG lists narcotics one by one in its Annexes I to III, while the NpSG describes whole chemical families in its Annex 1. A substance that’s individually listed in the BtMG falls outside the NpSG, because the NpSG doesn’t apply to narcotics under the BtMG.
Is possession prohibited under the NpSG?
Section 3 of the NpSG prohibits acquiring and possessing covered substances, and police and customs may seize them. The criminal penalties in section 4, however, target trading, placing on the market, administering to others, and manufacturing or importing for sale, not simple possession.
Who decides which substances go into the NpSG annex?
The Federal Ministry of Health amends the annex by regulation, with the consent of the Bundesrat, in agreement with the finance, interior and justice ministries, and after hearing experts. Bigger changes, such as the new Annex 2 of 2026, can also come through an act of parliament.
Does the NpSG cover cannabis itself?
No. Since 1 April 2024, cannabis for adults is governed by the Cannabis Act (KCanG) and medical cannabis by the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG). The NpSG deals with new psychoactive substances, including synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabimimetics that are described in its annex.
Where can I find the current version of the NpSG?
The consolidated text is published on gesetze-im-internet.de, and the Federal Ministry of Health keeps a dated list of the regulations that amended the annex. The 2026 law that added Annex 2 isn’t on that list, but its changes are in the consolidated text. Laws change, so check the current version rather than relying on an older summary, including this one.
More reading for the curious
- THC alternatives in the EU: what the rules say
- HHC Alternatives 2026: Which Legal Options Actually Exist
- Are CBD Flowers Legal? The 2026 EU Rulebook Explained
Legal position as of October 2026, based on the consolidated NpSG (last amended by the law of 7 January 2026), the Federal Ministry of Health’s list of annex amendments, Bundesrat document 202/24 and the consolidated KCanG. This is general information, not legal advice; laws change, so please check the current text.
