20M Germans Could Benefit From Medical Marijuana But Most Struggle To Find Prescribing Doctors

Frankfurt-based medical marijuana company Bloomwell Group Gmbh released a survey on cannabis consumption in Germany showing 94% of respondents use cannabis for at least one health reason. Stress relief was the most common reason (60%), followed by sleeping disorders (50.4%) and pain relief (35%).

"The responses illustrate the immense potential and room for growth of the country's rapidly expanding medical cannabis industry following the implementation of the Cannabis Act (CanG) on April 1, 2024, which rescheduled cannabis as a non-narcotic," stated Niklas Kouparanis, co-founder and CEO of the Bloomwell Group, the holding company for Bloomwell Gmbh. "According to the data from our survey, more than 20 million people in Germany could benefit from access to medical cannabis therapy."

However, within the past year, only 10% of the survey participants obtained cannabis exclusively from licensed pharmacies while 79.6% reported negative experiences with the unlicensed market or safety concerns about unregulated products.

The survey comes after major cannabis reform in Germany with the implementation of the Cannabis Act (CanG). Partial cannabis legalization took effect in Germany on April 1 allowing people over 18 to legally possess up to 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three plants at home. One of the biggest breakthroughs under the law is that medical cannabis is essentially regulated like ibuprofen.

Despite the reform, in practice, access to medical cannabis remains limited. According to the survey, just 9.2% of respondents had “no issues” finding a doctor for cannabis therapy, even though over a third said their health conditions negatively impacted their personal or work life. About 33.3% of respondents were already diagnosed with a qualifying condition by a doctor.

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Taboo Topic For Many Doctors

"Medical cannabis is a long-term, safe form of treatment that helps alleviate numerous symptoms of health conditions, usually with comparatively mild or no side effects," Dr. Julian Wichmann, M.D., co-founder of Bloomwell Group and CEO of Bloomwell told Benzinga. "However, it is still a taboo topic for many doctors in Germany, and specialist knowledge and expertise are necessary for maximum therapeutic success."

Wichmann further suggested that the continued reluctance of most doctors to prescribe marijuana in combination with decades of stigma impact consumers to turn to the illicit market. He suggested more outreach and education for the general public.

"There are convenient, safe and reliable telemedicine, e-prescription and delivery services available for verified and affordable medical cannabis therapy – the vast majority, almost 92 percent, would prefer this digital access according to our survey," Wichmann added. "There is no need to turn to the illicit market, but it still happens because of the ongoing discrimination that results in lack of access."

Read Also: Stalled In Bureaucratic Limbo, This German City Struggles With Illegal Cannabis As Demand Surges

Buyer’s Remorse

The survey, conducted in August 2024, included a representative sample of 3,092 Germans, with 1,009 having used cannabis within the past year for medical or recreational reasons.

The report further revealed that many of the consumers who had purchased cannabis from unlicensed sellers had "buyer’s remorse" and were fearful of the negative side effects that may come with purchasing untested or illicit cannabis. These additional results from the survey include:

• 30.9% reported purchasing cannabis that was of poor quality.
• 29% are afraid that illegally acquired cannabis will have a negative impact on their own health.
• 14.8% said they had problems dosing correctly.
• 26.3% have already purchased contaminated cannabis.

To avoid buyer's remorse and help advance the legal medical marijuana market, we "need more public awareness and resources allocated towards research studies on medical cannabis' potential benefits and effectiveness," Wichmann told Benzinga. "Inclusion into clinical guidelines would be a major step for widespread acceptance. Public health officials also need to reach out to physicians with resources and educational opportunities on how best to prescribe medical cannabis and help patients navigate their respective treatment journeys."

Bloomwell developed and operates one of Europe's largest digital medical cannabis platforms. The company's "aim is to reach rapidly growing number of people who are seeking out medical cannabis and make them aware that there are licensed and convenient telemedical services providing safe and reliable care from physicians and pharmacies," Kouparanis added.

Read Next:

• Berlin Grants First Cannabis Cultivation Permission, Lower Saxony To Introduce Fines With ‘Hefty Penalties’

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