Everything seemed on track… until it wasn’t. Germany made history as the European country that went furthest with cannabis regulation, both on the recreational and medical fronts. In no time, record-breaking imports rolled in, the market expanded, and thousands of patients found relief thanks to easier access. Legalizing medical cannabis opened up economic opportunities, but it also meant concrete improvements in quality of life, especially for those who depend on this treatment.
Among those advances came telemedicine: the option to consult with doctors online and get prescriptions without ever having to set foot in a doctor’s office. On top of that, pharmacies handled distribution, sometimes even offering home delivery. For a while, everything seemed to be running smoothly.
But now the Ministry of Health, led by Nina Warken, has hit the brakes. Their official reasoning is this: they fear the system’s flexibility is being abused by recreational users masquerading as patients. Against that backdrop, the government introduced a draft bill to restrict online prescriptions and ban home delivery of cannabis flower. The draft was withdrawn from the cabinet on September 10 and is expected to be reconsidered on October 8, 2025, according to Business of Cannabis.
In-person checkups, or nothing at all
The initiative requires patients to attend in-person appointments at least once every quarter and to pick up their cannabis flower directly from pharmacies, explained Franziska Katterbach, partner at Oppenhoff law firm.
In practice, this would mean the end of online consultations and home delivery, two mechanisms that had expanded access to treatment, especially for people living in rural areas or those with limited mobility.
The Health Ministry is, basically, pushing for less reliance on digital platforms and stronger in-person relationships between doctors and patients. Critics, however, warn that this would especially harm the very groups mentioned above, since …
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Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
