Status: 07/07/2021 5:33 p.m.
Previously, pharmacies had to use imports when selling medical cannabis. That is now over: From now on you can obtain the substance directly in Germany from a cannabis agency commissioned by the federal government.
The federal government has started the state sale of cannabis for medicinal purposes to pharmacies. Three companies in Germany are growing the intoxicating plants on behalf of the cannabis agency located at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, as the Bonn authority announced.
So far, pharmacies have obtained medical cannabis from imports, as the federal government initially set up the cannabis agency in a lengthy process and advertised the cultivation.
2.6 tons of cannabis per year
Now the cannabis per gram is sold to the pharmacies at a price of 4.30 euros without excess. The aim of the cultivation in Germany is to also contribute to the care of the patients, explained the Federal Institute. The total amount of 10.4 tons of medicinal cannabis cultivated in Germany is spread over four years with 2.6 tons each.
A booming market
The Cannabis Agency was founded in 2017 when the “Cannabis as Medicine” law came into force. Since then, doctors have been able to prescribe medical cannabis flowers or cannabis extract with a narcotic prescription, for example for pain relief in the seriously ill. The drug is sold on prescription and only in pharmacies.
In most cases, the health insurance companies cover the costs of therapies. Many start-ups and foreign corporations, for example from Canada, cavort in the still small market.