As cannabis opponents in Germany continue to try to take the country’s medical cannabis laws and regulations backwards, the German Hemp Association (DHV) has issued a public warning on the eve of a hearing in the Health Committee of the Bundestag. Below are the changes being proposed by Health Minister Warken:

• Online prescriptions for cannabis flowers are no longer accepted; prescriptions must be issued by local doctors, and repeat prescriptions require a physical visit to a doctor every four quarters.
• Shipping of cannabis flowers by online pharmacies is no longer possible; only in-store pickup at a pharmacy or delivery by their courier is available.

“In a statement published today, the German Hemp Association criticizes the federal government’s plans to tighten regulations on telemedicine prescriptions for medicinal cannabis and to ban the shipment of cannabis flowers, calling them a step backward in terms of the planned digitalization of the healthcare system.” DHV wrote in a news release (translated from German to English). “The draft legislation in its current form would significantly restrict access to medicinal cannabis, as there is a severe shortage of appropriately specialized doctors in Germany. A ban on the shipment of cannabis flowers would mean additional costs for patients obtaining their medication and would particularly discriminate against people with limited mobility in rural areas.”

“The German Hemp Association (Hempverband) argues that the observed significant increase in private prescriptions compared to prescriptions covered by statutory health insurance in recent years is not a sign of potential misuse, but rather a clear indication that the hurdles for insurance coverage of cannabis therapy are still too high. Doctors fear potential financial penalties, and as a consequence, patients have to pay for their medication themselves.” DHV continued.

“Furthermore, many general practitioners and pharmacists are overwhelmed by the hundreds of different medical cannabis strains. Specialized physicians and mail-order pharmacies, on the other hand, enable the best possible, individually tailored cannabis therapy for each patient. The current draft legislation would therefore significantly restrict not only access but also the quality of care.” DHV added.

“If legislators want to prevent the potential misuse of medicinal cannabis, this should not be achieved by worsening access to medical care, but rather by making it easier for adults to obtain cannabis for recreational use. To this end, the conditions for cultivation associations must be improved and their excessive bureaucracy reduced. Furthermore, the legal distribution of cannabis should be explored through pilot projects. Numerous German municipalities have already submitted applications for such projects; these simply need to be approved. Without these measures, the planned tightening of access to medicinal cannabis will ultimately only strengthen the black market.” DHV concluded.

The hearing will be broadcast live on parliamentary television at bundestag.de tomorrow from 4:00-5:30 pm CET.