German Cannabis Business Association
Lower Saxony’s Health Minister Andreas Philippi (SPD) Continues to Allege Misuse in Statutory Health Insurance Prescriptions
2026-02-11 | Following criticism of inaccurate statements made by Lower Saxony’s Health Minister and Chair of the Conference of Health Ministers, Andreas Philippi (SPD), he told the Pharmazeutische Zeitung: Although the alleged misuse largely occurs via private prescriptions and is therefore paid out-of-pocket,he stated that it cannot be ruled out that, to a certain extent, medical cannabis is also being obtained for recreational use through the statutory health insurance system and thus at the expense of the solidarity-based system.
Georg Wurth of the German Hemp Association (DHV) disputes this claim. He accuses Philippi of spreading misinformation, arguing that the increase in prescriptions is based on private prescriptions and therefore does not generate costs for the public. In his assessment, telemedicine platforms serve significantly more patients with genuine medical needs than assumed, as traditional medical practices are often overstretched. A ban on online prescriptions would restrict access and strengthen the illicit market. Within political bodies, the future of the planned mail-order ban remains uncertain.
