Source: German Cannabis Business Association
ACM Announces Constitutional Complaint Against New Statutory Health Insurance Law
2026-07-19 | The German Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM) has announced that it will file a constitutional complaint against the Statutory Health Insurance Contribution Rate Stabilization Act (GKV Contribution Rate Stabilization Act), which was adopted by both the Bundestag and Bundesrat on July 10, 2026. In a statement, ACM Chairman Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen criticizes the legislation for eliminating reimbursement of medical cannabis flowers and requiring patients to first complete a six-month treatment trial with approved cannabis-based pharmaceuticals such as Sativex or the newly approved Exilby. According to the ACM, this requirement is medically unsound because cannabis medicines are not interchangeable and differ significantly in their therapeutic effects and tolerability. The constitutional complaint aims to safeguard the freedom of physicians and patients to choose the most effective and appropriate treatment.
Patients with different medical conditions and legal situations will be able to join the complaint, which is to be filed by Professor Dr. Oliver Tolmein, a lawyer specializing in medical and cannabis law. Eligible participants include patients who already receive or seek reimbursement for cannabis flowers, as well as those who require standardized cannabis extracts outside the approved finished pharmaceutical products. Alongside the legal action, the ACM is urging patients to contact members of parliament from the governing SPD, CDU and CSU parties to explain the expected health consequences of the new legislation. A donation fund to finance the proceedings will be established shortly, while the German Hemp Association (DHV) has already pledged its support. The German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) is currently coordinating with other professional organizations on additional responses to the legislation.
