On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the Federal Cabinet of Germany approved a bill amending the country's Medicinal Cannabis Act, limiting online and telemedicine access to treatments. The goal is to address negative trends and ensure safe supply to patients with serious illnesses.

According to the government, the change aims to curb the significant increase in imports and the practice of online prescriptions without prior medical contact. The use of medicinal cannabis in Germany must be closely monitored through in-person consultations to ensure patient safety.

"Medicinal cannabis is a prescription drug and not a product for purely recreational purposes," said Federal Health Minister Nina Warken. "We will prohibit the professionalized misuse of prescriptions online. For patients dependent on medicinal cannabis, the supply will continue to be guaranteed."

The Growth of the Medicinal Cannabis Market in Germany

In the first half of 2025, cannabis imports grew by over 400% compared to the same period the previous year, jumping from 19 to 80 tons. However, according to the Government, this increase did not match the demand from seriously ill patients, whose prescriptions only increased by a single-digit percentage.

Currently, the legal medicinal cannabis market in Germany generates approximately €500 million per year, according to the German Cannabis Trade Association (BvCW). Around 2,500 of the country's 17,000 pharmacies already offer cannabis-based products.

Legalization is also associated with improved public safety. A recent report indicated that police statistics recorded over 100,000 fewer cases of cannabis-related crimes in 2024 compared to 2023. The analysis compiled 12 studies, providing a comprehensive view of the reform's impacts on health and justice.

Impacts and Details of the New Medicinal Cannabis Law

Under the new law, medicinal cannabis can only be prescribed after personal contact between doctor and patient, either in the office or during a home visit. For follow-up prescriptions, an in-person consultation will be required every four quarters, allowing the use of telemedicine in the following three quarters.

The option to purchase medicinal cannabis by mail order has also been excluded, due to the requirement of in-person consultations at the pharmacy. However, local pharmacy delivery services will not be affected by the measure.