Marijuana In Germany: After Weed Sales Nearly Double, Will Legal Medical Cannabis Laws Change Soon?

Germany legalized medical marijuana in 2005 for those suffering from chronic pain and illnesses to be treated on a self-therapy basis, and since the amount of patients has substantially grown. Some believe there aren't enough qualifying conditions  and that the methods to access marijuana are too scarce, leading Germany's Health Minister to propose a law allowing medical marijuana for all medicinal purposes, despite severity. The Federal Drug Commissioner announced a plan last year to have insurance companies cover the cost of medical marijuana for chronic patients, though no regulations have been set at this time. The first 6-months of 2016 are showing nearly double the sales of medical marijuana as the first 6-months of 2015, showing that Germans are happily turning to legal forms of the drug.

Federal Drugs Commissioner Marlene Mortler announced a plan to allow chronically ill people get get medical marijuana expenses covered by insurance providers in 2015. She said the reform would go into effect in 2016. However, her initiative along with Gröhe’s widespread legal marijuana law – which he hopes to get inducted by early 2017 – has yet to take effect.

Despite the cost, more Germans are trying to get their hands on doctor-supervised marijuana. The industry sold 61.8 kilograms of marijuana in the first half of 2016 compared with 33.8 in the first half of 2015. Officials didn’t have an explanation for the latest spike in cannabis sales, but suggested the rise may be due to the increase in licenses issued to patients in the first half of the year.