From ‘skyrocketing’ demand to scepticism: one year of medical marijuana in Germany

Health insurance companies have been receiving a large number of applications for the reimbursement of medical marijuana costs
The Local (Germany)
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Since medical marijuana was legalized in Germany in March last year, an increasing number of patients are being prescribed the drug. But the healthcare industry has been less enthusiastic about the boom and many questions have gone unanswered. Demand for cannabis has shot up since it was legalized about a year ago. Around 44,000 units of the plant covered by health insurance were distributed to patients in 2017. Doctors on the other hand are under pressure as they need to give precise reasons for prescribing cannabis. Some doctors fear for their reputation as marijuana can evoke associations with “druggies” or habitual users of drugs. Its medical efficacy is also partly controversial.