Once again the German Cannabis Business Assoc Newsletter outlines all the salient points (see below) .
I see the same pattern in Germany as i have seen inmany other jurisdictions when regulators open a discussion about taking the toys away from the boys in the playground. Suddenly all those excel sheets with Euro & $ signs all over them don’t look so persuasive to the smarter end of the finance providers
So we get the usual – you are killing our industry, you’re going to create unemployment, the black market will take over etc etc.
I thought i was about cannabis not money… ahh that’s where i got it wrong!
This is where we are this week according to the German Cannabis Business Assoc
2025-07-29 | The draft bill by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) to reform the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) continues to spark widespread debate, as reported by the FAZ. One of the proposals is that cannabis flowers may only be prescribed following an in-person doctor consultation and no longer be delivered to patients via mail (as previously reported). According to the ministry, the goal is to curb abuse through online prescriptions. The draft is currently open for consultation by stakeholder organizations before proceeding through the parliamentary process.
The German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) strongly criticized the proposal: “The proposed bans would impact telemedical treatment and effectively end mail-order pharmacy services for medical cannabis flowers”, said association spokesperson Michael Greif. The BvCW estimates that around 50 telemedicine providers would be affected, along with pharmacies, wholesalers, and producers—posing a risk of hundreds of job losses. Companies like Cantourage and the Sanity Group also fear an increase in black market activity. Physician and founder of the telemedicine platform 5Swan, Grischa Judanin, criticized the restrictions in a guest article for KrautInvest, calling them a step backwards. Instead, he advocates for clear rules, quality standards, and a regulated recreational cannabis supply through pharmacies.
From the political sphere, several SPD health policymakers voiced criticism: Matthias Mieves called for reliable and digital patient access via LinkedIn, though he rejects anonymous online prescriptions and invited discussion under his post. As KrautInvest reports, Christos Pantazis, health policy spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group, emphasized that access must not be made more difficult for seriously ill patients. Already in May, SPD MP Carmen Wegge warned during a parliamentary evening against a de facto rollback of the reform. Green Party MP Linda Heitmann stated: “Focusing solely on the Medical Cannabis Act instead of reforming remote prescribing as a whole is illogical and stigmatizing.”
Support for the bill comes from the Medical Association of North Rhine. Its president, Dr. Sven Dreyer, called the planned mandatory annual in-person doctor visit medically sound and stressed that medical responsibility should not serve to legitimize recreational use. He referred to rising import volumes alongside stagnating SHI prescriptions as signs of possible misuse.
ALSO
Discounts for prescription medications to be banned – ABDA backs Warken’s stance against online pharmacies
2025-07-27 | German Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) plans to prohibit bonus and discount campaigns by foreign online pharmacies for all prescription medications, going beyond the planned restrictions for medical cannabis, according to dts news agency. She warns that access to medication should not depend on discount promises – brick-and-mortar pharmacies must not be further disadvantaged. Local access to care must remain guaranteed for all patients. The Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) explicitly supports this initiative.
ABDA President Thomas Preis criticizes that foreign mail-order pharmacies use bonuses to target publicly insured patients, thereby misusing health insurance funds. Discounts, he argues, have no place in responsible pharmaceutical care. The number of pharmacies in Germany has decreased by around ten percent over the past five years – a development Preis also attributes to mail-order trade. Every closure, he says, represents a loss of local healthcare access, especially for elderly people.
