Telemedicine And Medical Cannabis In Germany: Revolution Or Risk?

The changes, which have not become law, would require patients to see a doctor in person before being prescribed cannabis flower and stop pharmacies sending it by post.

The Association for Cannabis as Medicine – a German nonprofit supporting patients and doctors – warned that patients already struggle to find doctors willing to prescribe while cannabis company Bloomwell has cautioned that further restrictions could “push patients back into illegality”.

The debate will take centre stage at the Cannabis Health Symposium in Frankfurt on 4 November, where a panel will examine who benefits from online prescribing, where medical checks fall short and what tighter rules could mean for patients.

Ahead of the event, Cannabis Health examines whether tighter rules would make prescribing safer – or leave patients struggling to find a doctor and get their medicine.

How Has Telemedicine Changed Medical Cannabis In Germany?

Telemedicine allows patients to consult a doctor remotely and, where treatment is appropriate, receive a cannabis prescription without travelling to a clinic.

Since Germany changed its prescribing rules in April 2024, businesses like Bloomwell, DoktorABC and Grünhorn introduced new online services for medical cannabis patients.

As Cannabis Health previously reported, online consultations have been praised for helping patients find doctors willing to prescribe, including beyond their local area – eliminating geographic barriers, reducing stigma of seeking cannabis treatment, and providing rapid relief for patients with chronic conditions.

However, ease of access to cannabis, combined with what has been characterised as questionable marketing practices by some platforms and a lack of oversight, has become a contentious issue in Germany.

Politicians and health officials have raised concerns that these platforms are being used by recreational users to access cannabis and bypass comprehensive physical examinations.

Speaking in December 2025, Prohibition Partners’ Senior Analyst Alex Khourdaji predicted that “telemedicine restrictions are bound to occur in Germany.”

“These restrictions should serve as a warning to other markets to self-regulate teleclinics,” he added.

Veteran market analyst Alfredo Pascual said: “Germany enters 2026 with a clear risk of regulatory tightening in medical cannabis, even if the exact timing and final shape of the rules remain uncertain.

“The draft legislation on the table as of late 2025 is quite drastic on paper, particularly in its attempt to curb high-volume telemedicine models and pharmacy delivery to patients. At the same time, the legislative process has already revealed material enforcement gaps.”

Why Does The Government Want Tighter Rules?

The health ministry set out its concerns in an online Q&A last year where pointed to medical cannabis imports of cannabis flower rising from around 19 tonnes in the first half of 2024 to around 80 tonnes in the same period of 2025.

In sharp contrast, prescriptions covered by statutory health insurance only grew “in the single-digit percentage range” during same timeframe.

From this data, the government concluded that the supply spike was driven by “self-paying individuals with private prescriptions outside statutory health insurance coverage” who are using online services to get prescriptions without seeing a doctor in person or getting advice from a pharmacist.

The ministry strongly criticised  digital internet platforms for offering cannabis “without any or without personal doctor-patient contact” – saying that assessing patients generally required a review of their medical history and a physical examination due to “risk of addiction” among “other health risks” carried by the drug.

Would In-Person Appointments Make Prescribing Safer? Or Leave Patients Without Treatment?

The government argues that seeing patients in person would help doctors assess whether cannabis flower is suitable and explain its risks.

Its proposals would require an initial in-person appointment and another face-to-face consultation every four quarters.

Repeat prescriptions could still be issued remotely between visits.

At a hearing of Germany’s parliamentary health committee back in January, organisations representing addiction specialists, cannabis businesses and patients called for changes to prescribing – but differed over what those changes should involve.

The German Centre for Addiction Issues supported mandatory personal contact before a first prescription for medicines that can cause dependence – which it said just as necessary for medicinal cannabis as it is for prescribing sleep aids, tranquilisers, or painkillers with addictive potential.

The non-profit also criticised the advertising of medicinal cannabis on websites, social media, and billboards and called for the further development of the law on recreational cannabis, taking into account health, consumer protection, and youth protection aspects.

The Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) warned of potential new loopholes and suggested extending the proposed regulations not only to cannabis flowers but also to extracts.

Unsurprisingly, the German Cannabis Business Association argued quite differently. The industry group argued the planned special regulations violate the general principle of equality enshrined in Germany’s constitution, as they propose unequal treatment of medical cannabis compared to other prescription drugs. 

It added that concrete data on the misuse of medical cannabis in telemedicine is lacking and argued and the planned interventions are disproportionate.

The Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies, meanwhile, argued that the government should target “disreputable providers and clearly unlawful practices” rather than restrict treatment across the board.

The German Cannabis Patients’ Association also welcomed the proposed requirement for personal contact, while acknowledging that travelling to appointments would be difficult for some patients. – telling committee that “advertising is the main problem” and needed to be addressed alongside prescribing rules.

Cannabis Telemedicine In Germany: FAQs

Can Patients Still Get Medical Cannabis Online In Germany?

When Would The Proposed Restrictions Start?

A concrete start date has not yet been set for the proposed telemedicine restrictions and mail-order ban. Before these tighter rules can take effect, the draft law (the MedCanG Amendment) must be officially voted on by parliament, passed, and published in the Federal Law Gazette

Would Germany Ban Online Cannabis Prescriptions?

Germany does not plan to completely ban online cannabis prescriptions, but it wants to heavily restrict how they work. Telemedicine itself will remain legal, but the government’s draft bill (the MedCanG Amendment) aims to shut down the purely digital “online questionnaire-to-delivery” models that have exploded in popularity.

Would Pharmacies Still Deliver Medical Cannabis?

Telemedicine At The Frankfurt Symposium

The Cannabis Health Symposium in Frankfurt on 4 November will examine these questions through its panel, Telemedicine Debate: Revolution or Risk for Medical Cannabis.

The panel will ask what good online cannabis treatment should involve – and who should set the standards.

Speakers include Dr Julian Wichmann, chief executive of Bloomwell GmbH; Tobias Bosse, chief commercial officer of Grünhorn Group; Bertan Türemis, chief executive of bemedica; and Dr Christiane Neubaur, managing director of Germany’s Association of Cannabis-Supplying Pharmacies.

The discussion will cover remote assessments are appropriate, where they fall short and who is responsible when different providers handle the consultation, dispensing and follow-up.

The panel will also examine how a postal delivery ban could affect patients’ treatment and what safeguards online services should meet.

Find out more and book tickets for the Cannabis Health Symposium Frankfurt.