“Despite the significant and steady market growth, some proposed policy changes may restrict access to patients and hinder progress in industry.”
Niklas Couparanis from Bloomwell Group
The medical marijuana market is booming in Germany.
The German Health Ministry recently released a draft amendement that would mandate patients have an annual in-person consult and prohibit prescriptions being sent by mail. Although this is only a preliminary draft that is expected to change during the legislative process. Many are still concerned with the possible effects on a growing market.
This will this slow down or stop future successes?
The current state of the German Medical Cannabis Market
Germany has seen a significant increase in its medical cannabis market since April 2024 when the Cannabis Act became law. Cannabis was reclassified as a non narcotic. The medical cannabis market was freed from unnecessary administrative burdens and more patients were able to use the plant for wellness treatments.
In Germany, between 200,000-300,000 cannabis medical patients were estimated to exist before the CanG law was passed last year. As of May 2025—just over one year after CanG went into effect—Whitney Economics estimates that there are now an additional 500,000 to 600,000 patients participating in the legalized self-paying market.
According to my prediction, we may soon be seeing a half-million patients on the market if regulatory requirements continue as they are.
According to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, (BfArM), Germany has imported more than 37.222 metric tons of medical cannabis in the first quarter 2025. The total amount of medical cannabis products imported in Q1 2025 was up by 14.8% compared with Q4 2024 (32.419 tonnes). Imports for Q1 2020 are 457 percent higher than the previous year.
Changes proposed could put patients’ access to care at risk
Certain policy proposals may limit patient access and hinder progress in the industry despite significant market growth.
The German Health Ministry published a draft in July 2025 that requires patients to undergo a consultation with a doctor at their office, or have a visit to them at home once per year. This would be a prerequisite to receiving a prescription for medical cannabis.
En out of the box, mail-order deliveries for medical cannabis would be prohibited. Patients must pick up treatments from physical pharmacy locations.
Nina Warken leads these legislative changes in the current German cannabis laws. Her goal is to limit patients’ access to medical marijuana. Warken has stressed that the record high cannabis imports exceeded expectations.
The report revealed that restrictions on digital access would drive patients towards the illegal market
According to German medical cannabis company Bloomwell Group’s latest report, “The Cannabis Barometer–Potential Consequences of Restricted Telemedicine Access,” which surveyed 2,500 medical cannabis patients in Germany, 41.7 percent of patients would revert to the illicit market if digital access were blocked.
This suggests that accessing licensed cannabis therapies under physician supervision has enabled hundreds of thousand of patients to move from non-regulated and unsafe sources into pharmacy-dispensed care.
Additionally, Bloomwell found that medical cannabis patient numbers show no signs of slowing down: In May and June 2025, the number of prescriptions filled on the company’s digital platform exceeded those from March 2024—the final month before medical cannabis was reclassified—by more than 1,100 percent, a new record high.
The Cannabis Barometer Report also includes:
- Seven percent Consider joining one of Germany’s cannabis clubs that are mainly for recreational use.
- Seventy-nine percent Patients previously accessed digital therapy through unlicensed sources, such as illegal markets and/or friends and acquaintances.
- 47 and a 1/2 percent Now say that cannabis from pharmacies are less expensive than products not licensed, dispelling myths of affordability. Only 13.8% of respondents said that cannabis purchased from pharmacies is more costly.
- Eighty-three per cent You can get better quality medical cannabis in pharmacies than the illicit alternative.
Digital access has many benefits for public safety and the general population
CanG was passed in order to allow patients access to the medical marijuana system. Such access prompted some individuals to shift from the illicit market to the regulated medical system, as they could now access prescribing physicians and treatments through digital platforms—signaling a significant harm reduction and an overall win for major public health.
Restricting digital access will not only reverse this trend, it’ll also bring back substantial risks that come with non-licensed products such as contaminations, wrong labels and unsuitable packaging.
The fact that licensed prescribing doctors still participate in digital consultations with patients, ensuring proper supervision and usage is often overlooked by critics. This channel is removed without benefit to patients.
Access for rural and disabled populations
Patients with conditions that are severe and limit mobility may be prescribed medical cannabis. For patients who are immunocompromised, have chronic diseases or disabilities, it can be very difficult to get to the doctors’ office for a consultation. Germans who live in rural areas face the same problem.
Patients who are unable to visit a doctor in person or receive a prescription by mail rely on online consultations. Since there is a small number of doctors who can prescribe medical marijuana in Germany, some patients could be denied access, and forced to buy cannabis on the black market.
Impact of a restriction on access
Not only do the proposed policy amendments harm patients, they also hinder growth of the market. German medical marijuana industry is a stable and significant growth. It has created jobs, generated tax revenues and provided investment opportunities. Progress could be slowed or even reversed by regressive policy.
In the Cannabis Barometer Report, it was stated that 41.7% German medical cannabis users said they would turn to illicit sources of cannabis if their access to digital media were limited. In that case, the majority of the economic activity will shift away from the regulated and taxable market to the illegal one.
We are currently evaluating these issues, but we must remember that the process is still in its early stages. Therefore, we hope that the changes will not be implemented. German markets will continue to flourish.
Niklas is the CEO and founder of Bloomwell Group. He has been an entrepreneur since 2017, and a medical cannabis pioneer. In addition, he is a founder, growth activater, and founder of several companies.