Medical Marijuana To Be More Widely Reimbursed In Germany, Hemp Bill Attracts Investors And More Cannabis News
The cannabis scene in Germany is slowly but steadily progressing. One recent proposal would significantly change the medical cannabis prescription process. The proposal comes from the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) and concerns reimbursements for medical marijuana prescriptions under Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) that covers around 90% of the population, writes Business of Cannabis.
Partial cannabis legalization took effect in Germany on April 1, allowing adults over 18 to legally possess up to 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three plants at home. One of the biggest breakthroughs under this law is simplified medical cannabis use, or medical marijuana being regulated like ibuprofen.
Despite this simplification, one matter of concern for medical marijuana patients remained: the cost. To obtain an initial prescription for a marijuana product that qualifies for reimbursement through the GVK, doctors had to first get approval from the patient’s health insurance company. On July 18, the G-BA approved proposals that would change this by allowing more than 70% of physicians to prescribe reimbursed medical marijuana without prior approval from statutory health insurance companies..
“It’s going to have a major effect on basically the entire German market, because suddenly the statutory health insurers are required to pick up the cost of medical cannabis,” said Sven-Roger von Schilling, the chief financial officer of Grünhorn, the umbrella brand for the largest cannabis network in Germany, per the outlet.
“So far, the health insurers have been very reluctant to pay …