When medical cannabis policy is driven by the political whims of cannabis opponents rather than science and medical professionals, it is the patients who suffer the most. Cannabis is an effective, safe medicine, and suffering patients should have sufficient safe access to it if they and their doctor(s) think that medical cannabis therapies will help.

Medical cannabis opponents in Germany have continued their push to make negative changes to the nation’s medical cannabis laws and regulations, and the German Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies (BPC) is warning that if current proposals are implemented, it would create unnecessary hurdles for patients.

BPC recently published data demonstrating how much Germany’s current medical cannabis model has economically benefited patients by reducing their number of sick days.

“According to a recent projection based on a survey of 8,831 cannabis patients, medical cannabis therapy has already generated significant economic benefits in Germany amounting to billions of euros. The surveyed patients reported that since starting their cannabis therapy, the number of their annual sick days had decreased by an average of 58 percent. Extrapolated, the economic benefit of this reduction in sick days for cannabis patients in Germany is estimated at more than 3.7 billion euros.” BPC stated in a press release (translated from German to English).

“Based on import volumes, it is estimated that there are approximately 800,000 cannabis patients in Germany. This figure is still lower than the number of people who regularly take opioids (two million people) or antidepressants (3.2 million people). According to Pronova BKK, 22 percent of adults also take prescription sleep aids, which equates to more than ten million people. The Robert Koch Institute estimates that 53.7 percent of adults in Germany were affected by a chronic illness or a long-term health problem in 2024, which is reflected in sick days taken at work in Germany.”

In the third quarter of 2025 alone, Germany imported 56.915 tonnes of medical cannabis products according to Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) data. BPC included the following findings as part of its recent announcement:

• The patients surveyed stated that, prior to starting their cannabis therapy, they had been absent from work due to illness for an average of 37.6 days per year.
• After starting cannabis therapy, these days of absence were reduced by 58 percent to an average of 15.7 days.
• Around one-fifth of those surveyed stated that they had been unable to work for a long time before starting cannabis therapy, for example due to chronic pain. This improved after starting cannabis therapy.

“The respondents earn an average gross monthly salary of €3,875. Extrapolating the saved sick days to 800,000 cannabis patients results in an economic benefit of over €3.7 billion.” BPC stated. “The cannabis patients surveyed also reported more effective work as a result of the therapy due to better sleep quality (68 percent), less severe symptoms (54.3 percent), and a positive effect of medical cannabis on cognitive performance in the workplace (42.1 percent).”

“The report suggests that the number of adult patients is heterogeneously distributed across different age groups. The average age of the patients participating in the survey was 38.8 years. For the report, a member company of the German Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies (BPC) conducted an anonymous, non-representative online survey in November 2025, in which a total of 8,831 cannabis patients participated. This makes it the largest survey of its kind conducted on this topic in Germany to date.” BPC concluded.