Germany Weighs Stricter Medical Cannabis Rules Amid Mail-Order Access Debate

The Federal Council in Germany has approved the law amending the medical cannabis law and even called for stricter regulations. Bloomwell hopes that the SPD will overturn the planned ban on mail-order sales.

“The Bundesrat (Federal Council) is displaying a shocking lack of knowledge about medicinal cannabis. The arguments presented there, which are based on facts, would jeopardize the safe supply of cannabis to hundreds of thousands of patients in Germany,” said Niklas Kouparanis, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomwell. “Fortunately, the current draft legislation does not require approval.

Bloomwell and regional leaders in Germany push for regulated telemedicine and mail-order options to protect patient access to medical cannabis

Therefore, it can be assumed that the government will ultimately agree on the current position of the responsible representatives of the SPD parliamentary group before a draft bill is submitted to the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) for a final vote next year.”

According to Kouparanis, this proposal includes the removal of the currently planned ban on mail-order pharmacies, while maintaining a mandatory consultation with a doctor, which can then take place either in person or digitally. “This compromise ensures an effective and reliable supply of medicines. At the same time, it also supports the digitalization of the healthcare system and telemedicine approaches, in line with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s position, and strengthens one of the few emerging innovative industries in Germany.”

According to Kouparanais, it is currently expected that the Federal Government will discuss the issue again at the beginning of December and that a first reading will take place in the Bundestag before Christmas.

The SPD defends the regulation of cannabis because it was implemented under its former health minister, Karl Lauterbach. Former drug commissioner Burkhard Blienert is now a senior advisor for political strategy consulting at the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies (BPC).

Thuringia submitted a motion to the Bundesrat (Federal Council) proposing, instead of outright bans, “regulated telemedicine prescriptions for repeat prescriptions and controlled mail-order sales.” Telemedicine repeat prescriptions should be issued exclusively by physicians licensed in Germany and be contingent upon qualified identity verification, such as eID or video identification, as well as complete digital documentation of the doctor-patient contact.

“Strictly supervised mail-order sales with quantity limits, identity verification upon delivery, and digital tracking enable safe dispensing even in areas where only a few pharmacies stock cannabis flowers and prevent interruptions to ongoing therapies. At the same time, legal, controlled supply channels are strengthened, and the shift to unregulated structures is avoided.”

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(Featured image by Budding via Unsplash)

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First published in apotheke adhoc. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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