Prescription of Cannabis now legal in Germany

On Wednesday new regulations came into force in Germany which allow patients with serious illnesses and no other alternative, the right to receive medical cannabis in pharmacies on medical prescription.

As we reported just a few weeks ago, the Bundestag – the German Parliament – agreed the initiative on therapeutic marijuana unanimously . And last February 10, the Budesrat – the Federal Council – finally approved the law that will facilitate the medical dispensation of cannabis. From now on, chronic and terminal patients will benefit from cannabis treatments funded by the state.

Doctors may now prescribe cannabis to patients who have previously exhausted all therapeutic alternatives and to whom cannabis could be of assistance in the treatment of specific symptoms or in the course of the disease.

A new State Cannabis Agency will be in charge of importing medical cannabis and authorizing controlled plantations in the country, whose production will go to authorized pharmacists, wholesalers and pharmacies.

Before Wednesday nearly 700 people in Germany had obtained authorization from the Federal Institute of Medicines and Medical Devices (BfArM), which allowed them to use therapeutic marijuana. 48 kilos was imported for medicinal purposes in 2014, a quantity that rose to 95kg in 2015. However, not everyone could afford this type of treatment. The average price was 540 euros per month and in the most serious cases the figure amounted to 1,800 euros. Thanks to the implimentation of the new legislation, as of Wednesday, March 1, patients with chronic pain, multiple sclerosis or psychiatric diseases can enjoy public funding of these treatments.