PAIN is most common ailment for which patients are prescribed medical cannabis, say the German Government
The introduction of its medical cannabis programme in 2017 saw physicians allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis for over 60 illnesses.
Almost three quarters of all prescriptions from a Government sample of over 6,500 are for pain – at 71%
This was followed by spasticity – a muscle condition at 11% – and anorexia at 7%, with epilepsy, migraines, ADHD and Tourettes Syndrome all featuring, too.
The data is based on an ongoing government survey involving 6,538 patients, as of September last year, reports the Marijuana Business Daily website.
This survey on the medical market will run until March 2022 and will then be used determine the future of medical cannabis insurance coverage.
Germany’s medical cannabis programme began in March 2017, and
‘The Germany Cannabis Report’ by Prohibition Partners estimates 60,000 patients have been helped.
One of the most pressing issues in the German market is that it does not have the supply chain to satiate demand and has consequently granted supply licenses to three Canadian, and one domestic, producer while it encourages the development of a homegrown industry.
This comes an estimated four million Germans use cannabis, with 17% of 18 to 25-year-olds saying they had used it in the past 12 months.
Despite being illegal, the state will not usually prosecute anyone found to have six grams of cannabis, or less – a limit agreed by state interior ministers, in 2018.
