Last Updated on 17th September 2020

Since March 2017, doctors in Germany have been legally allowed to prescribe cannabis flowers or other cannabis-based medications for over sixty different illnesses and conditions. This includes minor conditions like headaches and ADHD. But since that time the demand for medical cannabis in Germany has skyrocketed.

In 2018, it was estimated that 95,000 prescriptions were made in Germany recommending cannabis-containing preparations and unprocessed flowers. That’s quite a large number of patients but it becomes even more telling when you factor in that this is more than three times as many prescriptions as there were in the first few months following the Germany CBD legalization changes in 2017.

This can be seen in figures published by the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Association.

What this means is that significantly more patients are now being treated using medical cannabis than there were two years ago. So with this impressive increase in the demand for cannabis could we see Germany fully legalising cannabis and CBD in 2019?

The market demands

Effectively, Germany has been the epicentre of medical cannabis in Europe since the beginning of 2017. No other country in Europe since that time has been able to give greater access of medicinal marijuana to patients and this has demand, naturally, lead to an absolutely huge market for cannabis in Germany.

The problem, or opportunity depending on how you look at it, is that at this time Germany imports all of its cannabis-products from the Netherlands and Canada. This lack of domestic production has lead to a shortage in pharmacies. Experts predict that the domestic market in Germany will reach €6 billion in sales over the next ten years.

Influential figures leading the Cannabis charge

More and more people in Germany are realising what a massive opportunity for the cannabis market they have. This is probably not unimpeded by the figures who are leading the charge in the German market. Their status and clout are giving the cannabis movement much-needed coverage in the media where others might simply lose them in the void. Let’s take a moment to look at these people.

Georg Wurth is an activist and president of the German Hemp Association (DHV/Deutschen Hanfverband) who has been fervently pushing the interests of, and lobbying for the German cannabis enthusiasts interests. Also, Andreas Mueller who works as a judge at the District Court in Bernau near Berlin has been a vocal supporter of legalisation moves as he has seen firsthand what the effects of criminalisation can do to vulnerable people.

In addition to being a judge, Andreas Mueller works as a youth neuroscientist and has focused his attention on the serious consequences surrounding the banning of cannabis. He believes that legalization of cannabis in Germany will bring greater protection, especially for younger people.

In addition to all of that, the Association of German Police Officers (BDK) have recently stated their position as being fully in support of decriminalisation of cannabis for personal use. They’re also not opposed to measures that might reach beyond that.

The ugly truth

There are, however, some unforeseen barriers that prevent legislation from passing easily in Germany. For one thing, health insurance companies have posed a big issue. Currently, they decline on average one-third of all prescriptions of cannabis-based medicines.

This leaves both practitioners and patients in a very tricky position. As we stated above, all cannabis products in Germany are imported and therefore the prices are extremely high. What usually results is that doctors will prescribe less expensive, and possible less effective, medications in place of the denied cannabis.

Added on to that, many German doctors simply do not have the time to negotiate the legal and bureaucratic hurdles presented by prescribing cannabis to patients. Police, too, operate in a slightly grey area, with small possessions charges increasing by 6.7% in a report published in April 2019 compared with findings in 2017. Not only that, but police raided a doctor’s office due to a misinterpretation of the law.

Future Legalisation?

So what does the future hold for cannabis legislation in Germany? Will it become a recreational cannabis epicentre of Europe? It seems possible, but difficult to achieve. If more and more people continue to fall victim to a grim legal situation the conversation on cannabis will expand.

Educating the overall population on the benefits of legalization and the dangers of criminalisation will be a key factor, but given that the Green Party (Die Grünen) is the second strongest force in parliament this seems very likely. The revenue from CBD industry selling distillate and broad spectrum CBD

The reality is that stigmas and traditional ideas take time to overcome but the change is well underway. That said, 2019 is likely not the year for full cannabis legalisation in Germany and the earliest would most likely be 2022.