Germany Moves to Tighten Medical Cannabis Rules Amid Surge in Private Use

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) is planning stricter regulations in Germany for the dispensing of cannabis for medical purposes. Prescriptions for cannabis flowers will only be issued after personal consultation with a doctor in a doctor’s office or during a home visit, according to a draft bill submitted by the department.

“This will preclude treatment via video consultation,” the draft law states. Until now, cannabis could be obtained relatively easily via online prescription on corresponding platforms. Warken aims to prevent this with the planned changes.

Medical cannabis will no longer be available by mail order, in Germany, but only in pharmacies. Due to the specific characteristics associated with medical cannabis, “comprehensive information and consultation obligations” exist, the draft states. These must be met during consultations in pharmacies.

Sharply increased consumption in Germany

Upon taking office, Warken had already stated that she wanted to restrict the easily accessible online prescription of cannabis. She justified this with a sharp increase in consumption. The draft bill states that since the Cannabis Act came into force in April 2024, imports of cannabis flowers for medical purposes have increased “beyond the expected level.”

According to data from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, imports in Germany increased by 170 percent from the first half of 2024 to the second half of 2024. However, prescriptions for medical cannabis covered by statutory health insurance only increased by nine percent during the same period. The Ministry of Health in Germany attributes this to an increasing number of private prescriptions from self-payers and purchases via online platforms.

Pharmacists’ Association in Germany supports plans

The Federal Association of German Pharmacists (Abda) supported the bill. “Medicines are not standard consumer goods and do not belong on purely commercially oriented trading platforms,” said Abda President Thomas Preis. Pharmaceutically sound advice on cannabis should be provided “by local pharmacies, given the high risk of addiction and the effects on brain development in young people.”

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

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