The German Cannabis Business Assoc write in their latest newsletter
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has presented a draft bill to amend the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG), primarily aiming to end remote prescriptions and mail-order sales of cannabis flowers. The initiative is justified by a sudden spike in imports – according to the BMG, quantities in the second half of 2024 increased by 170% compared to the first half, despite only moderate growth in statutory health insurance prescriptions, as reported by LTO. The ministry suspects that many self-payers obtain cannabis flowers via telemedicine platforms without any personal medical consultation.
The draft stipulates that initial prescriptions may only be issued following an in-person contact at the practice or during a home visit. Follow-up prescriptions will only be allowed if such contact occurred in the same practice within the past four quarters. In addition, mail-order sales of cannabis flowers to end consumers will generally be prohibited; in-person consultation at a pharmacy will become mandatory.
Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) receives support for this measure from parts of the SPD: The SPD’s health policy spokesperson Dr. Christos Pantazis sees the “rapidly increasing number of private prescriptions” as a risk to patient safety. A responsible correction is necessary – but without jeopardizing care for seriously ill patients.
Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck, the Federal Drug Commissioner, defended the reform plans. Digital prescribing must not become a “detour for recreational use.” The law should prevent abuse and commercialization without denying access to patients with genuine needs.
There is also support from the pharmacy sector for the restrictions: ABDA President Thomas Preis lamented that medical prescribing has in some cases degenerated into mere “ordering.” Personal consultation at a local pharmacy is essential due to the risk of addiction.
Criticism, however, comes from the Greens, the Left Party, and the FDP. Linda Heitmann (MP), the responsible rapporteur for the Greens, considers the approach of better control to be sensible – but demands it be extended to all medications. Singling out cannabis is “not logical, but stigmatizing.” Ates Gürpinar (MP, The Left) made it clear: “Restricting the Medical Cannabis Act without simultaneously establishing real and legal access channels for recreational cannabis is not only out of touch with reality – it continues to criminalize consumers and exposes them to all the risks of the black market.” Kristine Lütke (FDP) described the initiative as an “economic stimulus package for the black market” and called for allowing video consultations instead of a blanket ban, as well as preserving mail-order trade in the interest of patients and domestic businesses.
Journalist Hasso Suliak referred to the move as a political step backwards. Cannabis-specialized attorney Peter Homberg stated in an interview with KrautInvest that the draft represented maximalist demands “that go far beyond the actual objective.”
In the Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung, Dr. Christiane Neubaur (Association of Cannabis-Supplying Pharmacies, VCA) clearly opposed the mail-order ban for pharmacies. In an interview with BR24, BvCW CEO Michael Greif stated: “If findings are available and unambiguous, the prescription should also be possible via an online consultation,” whereas those “who provide false information to obtain cannabis on prescription are already committing a criminal offense.”
The deadline for associations to submit comments is August 1, 2025.
Also
Krautinvest commentary: Ideology over evidence
2025-07-17 | The current draft bill by the Federal Ministry of Health to restrict telemedicine and mail-order sales of medical cannabis is causing considerable unrest in the sector, according to KrautInvest. The planned measures could halve the market volume and raise fundamental questions: What exactly does the ministry want to prevent? And where is the actual problem?
Although the draft refers to rising import figures and many private prescriptions without personal doctor contact, it conspicuously avoids the term “misuse.” This appears to be implicitly assumed – but there is no solid evidence. Nor do professional bodies such as medical associations or addiction experts provide data that would support widespread misuse of medical cannabis. While millions of Germans regularly abuse sleeping pills, cannabis – despite lower risk and lack of scientific consensus – is to be regulated more strictly.
The ministry’s argumentation appears contradictory: broad access to home cultivation is legitimized, while controlled dispensing through pharmacies is to be restricted – allegedly due to addiction risks. This raises the question of whether patient protection is truly at the center or whether it is more about ideological positioning. Instead of evidence-based solutions, cannabis policy once again risks becoming the stage for societal conflict.
Patient organization warns of negative consequences of MedCanG draft
2025-07-16 | The Berliner Cannabis Hilfe e.V. criticizes the draft bill to amend the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) as disproportionate and hostile to patients. Board member Maximilian Plenert explains that removing cannabis from the Narcotics Act (BtMG) had been a noticeable improvement for patients. The option to receive treatment via telemedicine and mail-order pharmacy had enabled low-threshold and cost-effective therapy. Blanket bans are, from the association’s perspective, neither necessary nor appropriate and could worsen care.
Member Stefan Konikowski emphasized that the high demand for online services is a symptom of an overburdened healthcare system. New obstacles such as a shipping ban on flowers would further worsen the situation and burden patients more than previous regulations under the BtMG. The association instead calls for sensible, patient-centered regulation while maintaining existing digital care pathways.
Cannabis Hilfe Berlin had already joined the “Joint Call for Contemporary Cannabis Telemedicine” in March. The initiative presents alternative solutions that consider patient safety and abuse prevention without endangering access to treatment.
