A survey of 7,913 German medicinal cannabis patients, almost 90% of whom have experience with both the unregulated and regulated markets, found that an overwhelming majority of them prefer making their medical cannabis purchases from pharmacies. Bloomwell Group GmbH, one of Europe’s leading medical cannabis companies, conducted the survey.
Bloomwell surveyed 7,913 medicinal cannabis patients anonymously and in compliance with data protection laws online in September 2026, on a non-representative basis, and analyzed anonymized datasets of cannabis patients in the six-digit range and prescriptions in the seven-digit range.
“Respondents stated that acquiring cannabis illegally is 4.5 times as stressful for them as redeeming a medical prescription for medicinal cannabis at a German pharmacy. They also express concern about the quality and purity of illegal products. Product transparency, information, and counseling are likewise key reasons for them to move from illegal self-medication to legal, medically supervised care with medicinal cannabis.” the company stated in a news release provided to the International Cannabis Business Conference.
“With prices for medicinal flowers starting at two euros per gram, therapy has also become affordable for patients whose costs have no longer been covered by health insurance funds since the end of July 2026. Cannabis telemedicine is the last lifeline for patients here, yet it is once again under fire from the Federal Ministry of Health.” the company added.
“The illegal market makes people sick. The results of our survey can hardly be interpreted any other way. Stress, contamination, and a permanent, underlying worry place a considerable burden on those affected. These psychological and health consequences of renewed criminalization receive far too little attention in the public debate. Instead, the debate focuses mainly on unproven abuse. In fact, the widespread adoption of digitalized cannabis therapy has had a very positive effect on health outcomes, simply by reducing the risks of illegal self-medication.” stated Dr. med. Julian Wichmann, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomwell GmbH.
Of the 7,062 patients who reported having experience with both medicinal cannabis from the pharmacy and the unregulated market, there was a clear preference for medicinal cannabis from pharmacies. According to the survey results:
- 96.7 percent report that medicinal cannabis from the pharmacy is “cleaner and purer” than cannabis from the illegal market.
- 98.2 percent report being better informed and advised when obtaining cannabis with a valid prescription at a German pharmacy than on the illegal market.
- 94.4 percent report that medicinal cannabis from the pharmacy is cheaper for them than lower-quality cannabis on the illegal market.
“On a scale from one (no stress) to ten (a lot of stress), respondents rate acquiring cannabis illegally at an average of 8.1. They rate obtaining medically prescribed medicinal cannabis from the pharmacy at an average of 1.8. The illegal market thus causes about 4.5 times as much stress as redeeming a digital prescription at a pharmacy. 79.8 percent cite “general well-being” as an important reason for legal medicinal cannabis. In addition, 77.8 percent indicate fear of contaminants on the illegal market, and 77.4 percent welcome product transparency. Two thirds explicitly cite health-related reasons.” Bloomwell found.
“The number of people switching from illegal structures to legal medical prescription continues to grow in Germany. Compared with the previous quarter, the quantities dispensed to patients by German pharmacies via Bloomwell grew by a further 50 percent in the third quarter of 2026. At the same time, the average price, which patients see as an important incentive for switching to legal therapy, fell to 3.77 euros per gram of medicinal cannabis flowers.” the company concluded.
The full results of the survey can be found at the following link: https://info.bloomwell.de/hubfs/Barometer/(E)_Q3-2026_The-Cannabis-Barometer.pdf
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