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5 YEARS OF CANNABIS AS MEDICINE LAW: PROGRESSIVE & IN NEED OF REFORM

JOINT PRESS RELEASE OF THE GERMAN CANNABIS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (BVCW) AND THE ASSOCIATION OF CANNABIS SUPPLYING PHARMACIES (VCA)

Berlin, 04.03.2022 – On 10.03.2017, the “Act Amending Narcotics Law and Other Regulations”, also known as the “Cannabis as Medicine Act” came into force. This was preceded by more than 20 years of efforts by many voluntary actors, experts and, in particular, patients. It was only after seriously ill patients had fought for permission to grow their own medicinal cannabis in numerous court cases that the Bundestag became active and unanimously passed the law, which has set an example worldwide.

After 5 years of practical experience, there is now a clear need for reform for the BvCW & the VCA. The main points include:

  1. The abolition of the criterion of “Austherapiertheit” [§ 31 para. 6 1a) SGB V], which restricts physicians’ freedom of therapy.
  2. The reduction of recourse risks for physicians
  3. Measures to reduce the high rejection rates of approx. 40% in the assumption of costs by the statutory health insurers
  4. The replacement of the mandatory authorization requirement with a voluntary authorization procedure
  5. The creation of a secure legal framework for non-intoxicating cannabinoids (especially cannabidiol – CBD) and definition of threshold values above which cannabinoid-containing products are considered to be medicinal products or drugs
  6. Standardization of quality requirements and their interpretation among the 16 German states
  7. Relieving the burden on pharmacies by reducing the testing workload
  8. Public funding of research into the possible medical uses of cannabis as a medicine

In addition, the associations demand full disclosure of the anonymized data sets after completion of the companion survey (cut-off date: March 31) so that it can be comprehensively, independently evaluated and analyzed.

“The law was a big step forward, but now it is time for improvements”, says Dr. Armin Prasch, BvCW Presidium Member & Department Coordinator for Medical Cannabis at the BvCW. Dr. Christiane Neubaur, Managing Director of the VCA agrees and makes clear: “Access to this form of therapy must be facilitated and the therapeutic sovereignty of physicians must be respected for the benefit of seriously ill patients”. Both associations are in the exchange with the responsible specialists in the Bundestag for the reaching of the necessary reforms.

VisdP: Jürgen Neumeyer
Managing Director
German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW)
Marienstr. 30
10117 Berlin
Tel: 0163 986 08 88
presse@cannabiswirtschaft.de
www.cannabiswirtschaft.de 


Dr. Christiane Neubaur
Managing Director
Association of Cannabis Supplying Pharmacies e.V. (VCA)
Flöz-Herrenbank-Straße 27
46119 Oberhausen
Tel: 0208 9912 9921
neubaur@vca-deutschland.de
https://vca-deutschland.de