From October 17, the majority of doctors in Germany will be able to prescribe medical cannabis for reimbursement without securing prior approval of the health insurance companies.
As previously reported by Business of Cannabis, this has the potential to supercharge Germany’s already thriving medical cannabis market.
It comes amid reports suggesting the German pharmacies are now key beneficiaries of the medical cannabis market, bringing in tens of thousands of euros every month from medical cannabis sales.
While cannabis cultivation associations are also expanding rapidly across the country, not everyone is so thrilled about the recent changes, with a new YouGov poll suggesting a slim majority of Germans believe partial legalisation was wrong.
Health insurance opens up to cannabis
Earlier this week, Germany’s Federal Joint Committee’s (G-BA) proposed significant changes to the medical cannabis prescription process, which open the door for medical cannabis to be prescribed via statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung or GKV), were officially brought into effect.
The G-BA’s decision was published on October 16 in the Federal Gazette, signifying that the law has been formally enacted and is now officially part of the legal system. The Federal Ministry of Health had legally examined the decision and did not object.
Under the new law, a total of 16 specialist and specialty titles, along with five additional titles, have been listed, which the G-BA assumes ‘can conclusively assess the requirements for a cannabis prescription’, and prescribe without health insurance approval.
