Overview

• Warken’s draft regulation would prohibit online pharmacy delivery of medical cannabis and mandate face-to-face doctor consultations for all prescriptions.
• The proposal draws on BfArM data indicating a 170 percent rise in cannabis imports in late 2024 compared with just a 9 percent increase in GKV-covered prescriptions.
• Bloomwell and other industry groups warn that ending telemedicine access could drive more than 40 percent of patients back to illegal markets and worsen rural care gaps.
• Early government evaluations report no signs of addiction or traffic incidents from medical cannabis, while U.S. research points to potential cuts of up to 80 percent in opioid and sleep medication use.
• Critics including Cannabis-Unternehmer Niklas Kouparanis say the move reverses Karl Lauterbach’s 2024 liberalization and risks undermining patient treatment.