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Supply, Demand and Education: Factors Impacting the Growth of Germany’s Medical Cannabis Market by Niklas Kouparanis

When Germany implemented one of the world’s most progressive pieces of cannabis legislation, the Cannabis Act (CanG), on April 1, 2024, a significant question emerged: will the country’s medical market be able to meet the expected spike in demand that will likely result from CanG’s reclassification of the plant as a non-narcotic?

With bureaucratic hurdles removed and physicians empowered to prescribe cannabis like they would other Rx prescriptions for a broader range of common conditions, many were concerned that Germany was not prepared to accommodate an influx of new patients.

Fortunately, thanks to imports, the concerns can be put to rest – for now. Germany imports cannabis from around 15 countries, the majority being from Canada. According to the latest data from BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, the country’s medical regulatory body), Germany imported 11.7 tons of dried cannabis flower into the country for ‘medical or scientific purposes’ in the second quarter of 2024. This marks a 44 percent increase from the first quarter of the year and a new record high amount of import in any single quarter since medical cannabis was legalized in 2017. 

This increased supply is reaching patients who are in need: according to data from Bloomwell Group released in July 2024, the number of prescriptions our platform dispensed increased 400 percent from March 2024 to June 2024.

As our market continues to grow, we’ll need to continue to ramp up the amount of cannabis we import, as we’re projecting that Germany will be the number one medical cannabis market in the world. With reclassification in place, the number of medical cannabis patients in Germany is expected to climb from our previous tally of around 300,000 to a few million patients within two years.

However, in order for Germany’s medical market to reach its full potential, we need to address the ongoing issues of lack of awareness and education, and the stigmatization of cannabis. According to a representative survey conducted by Bloomwell in August 2024 on why Germans use cannabis, 94 percent of respondents reported they consume cannabis for at least one medical or health reason. The most common conditions reported were sleeping disorders and stress relief, followed by pain relief.

However, 90 percent of the survey participants acquired cannabis from the illicit market, rather than exclusively from a licensed pharmacy, within the past year. A large portion (79.6 percent) said they’d had negative experiences with purchasing cannabis from the unlicensed market, or feared side effects or potential health risks from illicit products.

There is clearly a strong and growing demand for cannabis to treat common health ailments. But public health outreach is needed so potential patients know that they can now access safe and verified medical cannabis as they would any other Rx prescription. They no longer need to turn to the illicit market and should not be pushed in that direction.

But it’s not just patients who need to be made aware – it’s the medical community. For too many physicians in Germany, medical cannabis is still a taboo subject. But from a legal perspective, medical cannabis is now equivalent to other prescription medications such as pain relievers, sleep aids and antidepressants. The plant has proven potential to help provide relief to patients with a range of conditions, including common issues like stress and sleep disorders; both are widespread conditions in Germany that are often overlooked for medical treatment or treated insufficiently.

Our data shows that, even though a third of the consumers surveyed have already been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition by a doctor, more than 21 percent who consulted with a doctor did not have medical cannabis prescribed to them. About 25 percent of respondents said that doctors were unable to help with their health problems. Only 9.2 percent stated that they were able to find a doctor who was able to help them with medical cannabis treatment.

The reclassification of cannabis as a non-narcotic was an important step towards normalization and de-stigmatization in Germany. However, we still need more resources allocated towards research studies on medical cannabis’ potential benefits and effectiveness. Public health officials also need to reach out to physicians with educational guidance on how best to prescribe medical cannabis and help patients navigate their respective treatment journeys. Even private companies in the industry need to continue to support research studies to add to the growing body of evidence for medical cannabis.

By prioritizing consumers with health-related motives and physician awareness, the number of medical cannabis patients in Germany actually has the potential to surpass the previously cited projection of “a few million patients within a few years.” According to the aforementioned Bloomwell online survey on cannabis consumption in Germany with 1,009 people who have consumed cannabis at least once in the last twelve months or have taken it medicinally as a patient, extrapolated more than 20 million people could benefit from medical cannabis.

With the demand firmly in place and early successes on record, the future of medical cannabis in Germany looks extremely promising. I urge our policymakers and public health officials to continue to take any and all steps needed to ensure the steady supply we need, along with education for physicians and patients alike.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier

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