Overview

• German Health Minister Nina Warken plans to restrict online prescriptions of medical cannabis, citing its ease of access and suspected misuse.
• Consumption of medical cannabis in Germany has surged from 31 tons to 100 tons between April 2024 and the same period the previous year, according to official data.
• Warken emphasized that medical cannabis should only be available for patients with serious health conditions, not for recreational use.
• The German government has committed to evaluating the broader cannabis legalization policy in the fall, as agreed in the coalition contract.
• Critics, including the German Medical Association, have raised concerns about public health risks and the persistence of the black market despite legalization efforts.