Hamburg Launched Partnership To Ease the Burden On Medical Marijuana Patients And Doctors

By Oren Shuster

The project, known as “Pain Initiative Cannabinoids 2021”, is a crucial development in advancing the German cannabis industry 

The German government enacted the “Cannabis as Medicine” law in March 2017 with the objective of making medical cannabis accessible to patients with chronic pain as a treatment for their symptoms. While this was a bold step forward for Europe’s largest economy, doctors still face burdensome obstacles when prescribing medical marijuana to their patients. 

In order to receive treatment, German patients are required to have their entire health history documented to show that all other treatment options have been exhausted, and the prescription must be approved by the patient’s health insurance. This process can last weeks, delaying vital treatment to seriously ill patients. On top of that, approximately one-third of all applications end up being rejected, most commonly due to insufficient information about previous treatments, errors on the application, and doctors’ lack of experience with cannabinoids. Reservations about possible abuse may also be a contributing factor to the insufficient care of pain patients.

To aid both patients and doctors in overcoming these hurdles, the German Society for Pain Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schmerzmedizin) entered into a contract with health insurer AOK Rheinland/Hamburg to simplify and streamline the process of prescribing medical cannabis to patients. Known as “Pain Initiative Cannabinoids 2021,” this project was developed as a result of a January 2021 study published by the German Society for Pain Medicine, insurer AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, academic researchers from LMU Munich, and a German government coalition.

The project is also supported by four major medical cannabis manufacturers: AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals Germany GmbH (AOP Orphan), Cannamedical Pharma GmbH (Cannamedical), Spectrum Therapeutics GmbH (Spectrum Therapeutics), and Tilray Deutschland GmbH (Tilray). While IMC passively supports this initiative and wishes it to be successful, we do not believe it is the right time or the right opportunity for us, in terms of our current priorities, to take an active role.

Through the program, doctors will be able to directly prescribe medical marijuana to their patients after completing a required 20-hour continuing medical education (CME) certified course. The course covers topics such as standard cannabinoid therapies, signs of cannabis addiction, and possible side effects from cannabis use. Offered in partnership with AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, the course empowers doctors to prescribe the necessary treatments their patients need without having to overcome complicated bureaucracy. 

In addition to completing the initial course, doctors must also complete ongoing training and recertify themselves annually to continue their participation in the project. Continuous training ensures patients will receive up-to-date, quality-assured, and competent care during the course of their treatment.

First conceived in December 2020, the German Society for Pain Medicine and AOK Rheinland/Hamburg are now working to develop contractual relationships nationwide that decrease bureaucracy for medical marijuana patients and providers. They also seek to increase the number of physicians who are able and willing to allow their patients to access medical marijuana therapies. 

As cannabis-related treatments continue to play an increasingly dominant role in caring for pain and seriously ill patients, this partnership has the potential to facilitate ease of access and growth in this area. It’s the first time there’s a partnership of this kind and if successful, it is likely to lead to a spike in demand; thus, a substantial but measured growth in market size. 

Given Germany’s leadership position in the European economy, the advancement of the country’s medical cannabis industry is likely to set a precedent for the broader region. With Germany being a key component of IMC’s global ecosystem, we look forward to seeing continued progress in this high growth market.

About the Author

Oren Shuster is CEO and Director of IM Cannabis IMCCIMCC and brings more than two decades of proven entrepreneurial experience in founding and growing companies in the med-tech and technology/software industries. Prior to IM Cannabis, Oren co-founded E-wave with a vision to create an international tech company that provides software solutions for enterprises in digital, IT, HR, and medical technologies. His vision was realized fully and today, E-wave is a global software house that employs 1,000 professionals with operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, India, and Israel. In addition to a successful entrepreneurial track-record, he also has held executive positions at companies within the telecom and digital media industries.