Cannabis Health Symposium: Frankfurt

Programme

The programme is being finalised — here are the themes we’ll explore across the day.

• Presentation and audience Q&A

  EKOCAN public health findings

  The EKOCAN study has generated some of the first large-scale public health data examining the impact of cannabis reform in Germany. This session will present the latest findings before opening the discussion around what these results mean for patient care, prescribing behaviour and public health policy.

• Panel debate

  Telemedicine: revolution or risk?

  The rapid growth of telemedicine providers following the introduction of CanG has divided the medical cannabis community. Has online access transformed patient care, or has it blurred the line between genuine medical treatment and adult-use access?

• Presentation

  The route to reimbursement

  Although Germany has Europe's largest medical cannabis market, the majority of prescriptions remain privately funded. This session will explore why reimbursement through statutory health insurance remains challenging, what clinicians and other stakeholders can do to improve approval rates, and how evidence, health economics and policy may shape future reimbursement decisions.

• Presentation

  The expanding role and responsibilities of the pharmacist

  As medical cannabis prescribing increases, pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in ensuring product quality, patient safety and regulatory compliance. This session will explore pharmacy responsibilities including dispensing, compounding, quality assurance, product selection and patient counselling, while addressing the need for greater professional education.

• Presentation

  Driving, employment and patient rights

  Despite legal reform, uncertainty remains regarding driving laws, workplace policies and patient protections. This practical session will provide an overview of the most recent driving regulations, workplace and employment rights and other developments both patients and prescribers need to know.

• Panel or presentation

  Cannabinoids vs opioids: a new class of treatment for chronic pain?

  Chronic pain remains one of the largest unmet needs in healthcare, affecting more than one billion people worldwide. Despite its major medical, social and economic burden, innovation in treatment has substantially lagged behind other major disease areas. After more than a decade in development, the first cannabinoid-based medicine for the treatment of chronic lower back pain received market authorisation in Germany and Austria earlier this year. Does this represent a new frontier in the treatment of chronic pain?

• Presentation

  Safe prescribing in mental health

  Mental health remains one of the most discussed and debated areas of medical cannabis practice. This session will examine the current evidence for cannabis-based medicines in psychiatric conditions, while addressing concerns around safety, dependency, psychosis risk and patient selection — with prescribing considerations, risk mitigation strategies and the role of cannabis-based medicines within wider mental health treatment pathways.

• Panel discussion

  Addressing unmet needs in women's health

  Women are increasingly seeking cannabis-based medicines to manage a range of conditions that are often poorly served by conventional treatment options. This multidisciplinary discussion will explore the use of medical cannabis across conditions such as menopause, endometriosis, PMDD, chronic pelvic pain and related disorders — examining the current evidence, clinical experience and future research priorities, and how healthcare providers can better support women seeking alternative treatment approaches.

• Presentation and audience Q&A

  The ECS: educating the next generation

  Despite growing clinical use of cannabinoid medicines, formal education on the endocannabinoid system remains limited. This session will explore how training on the ECS is developing across universities and professional education for medical professionals.

Speakers

• 

  Shabnam Sarshar

  Women's Health & Cannabinoid Therapeutics Advisor, The Recalibration

  Whether you're in the cannabis industry to help people, to make money, or both, 'Midlife Women' is the market you can no longer ignore. We're the highest-potential patient segment, and the least-served.

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  Dr. Shabnam Sarshar is a phytopharmacist and women's health strategist specializing in cannabinoid science and female-specific physiology. With a PhD in Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, and certifications in Endocannabinoid Medicine and Natural Women's Medicine, she has spent over a decade across pharmaceutical research, medical advisory, and women's health entrepreneurship. Her work translates complex hormonal and sex-specific biological mechanisms into clinically actionable insights for research, product development, and medical education. She advises medical and wellness companies on women-focused innovation. She is the founder of The Recalibration, a platform redefining midlife as a biological recalibration, not a decline.

  LinkedIn ↗

• 

  Antonia Menzel

  Chair of the Executive Board, BPC - Bundesverband pharmazeutischer Cannabinoidunternehmen e.V.

  Germany has the largest medicinal cannabis market in Europe, but scale on its own tells us very little. Two years after CanG, the majority of patients still fund their treatment privately. If cannabinoid medicines are to be handled like any other prescription medicine, closing that gap is a shared task for clinicians, industry, policy and statutory health insurance alike. The symposium puts exactly those issues on the agenda, and I look forward to bringing the industry perspective into that discussion.

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  Antonia Menzel leads the public affairs and corporate communications division at Sanity Group - one of Europe's leading medicinal cannabis companies. She is also Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies (BPC), where she actively promotes the interests of the medicinal cannabis industry at national and European level. The economics and political science graduate has more than ten years of experience in the health policy sector. Before joining Sanity Group in 2019, she worked at the Federation of German Industries, where she was responsible for European health policy matters. Before that, the Berlin native worked as a consultant in the health & life sciences sector.

  LinkedIn ↗

• 

  Bernd Werse

  Social scientist/ Professor for social work, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences

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  Bernd Werse, Ph.D., sociologist, professor for social work at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. Numerous research projects and publications on drug trends, drug dealing, cannabis policies, cannabis cultivation, open drug scenes, new psychoactive substances etc. Board member of the European Society for Social Drug Research (ESSD) and German drug policy network “Schildower Kreis”.

• 

  Sita Schubert

  General Secretary, European Medicinal Cannabis Association (EUMCA)

  Germany is at the forefront of the European cannabis evolution for years now. The Cannabis Health Symposium, taking place on 4 November in Frankfurt, is the key platform for discussing the latest medical regulations, patients’ rights and clinical innovations, and for playing an active role in shaping the future of patient care.

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  Sita Schubert is a fully qualified lawyer and seasoned executive with extensive expertise across the life sciences and healthcare sectors, including board positions within the pharmaceutical industry and the Pharma Code Association. Since 2016 she has been a pivotal figure in the medical cannabis sector, successfully facilitating market entry for international companies into Germany. She is a founding member of the European Medical Cannabis Association (2019) and founder of German Healthcare-Woman (2007), sits on the boards of the CTA (UK), the Pharma Compliance Association (AKG) and Business Angels BIO NRW, and advises science projects including at the University of Heidelberg. A recognised keynote speaker at health congresses across Europe, the UK, the US, Africa and Asia, she remains a vital bridge between industry stakeholders, academia and governmental bodies, dedicated to advancing innovation and improving global patient outcomes.

  LinkedIn ↗

• 

  Sylvia Mechsner

  Physician and Gynaecologist, Charité University Hospital

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  Prof. Dr. med. Sylvia Mechsner has headed the Charité Endometriosis Center at the Virchow-Klinikum campus—a certified clinical-scientific center—since 2014. In addition, the multi-award-winning gynecologist, endometriosis specialist, and author serves as a senior physician. After studying medicine from 1992 to 2000 at Freie Universität Berlin, she earned her Ph.D. in 2001 at the Institute of Biochemistry, followed by her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Charité. She has headed the Charité’s endometriosis research laboratory since 2005, and after successfully completing her habilitation she was appointed Professor of Endometriosis Research at Charité in 2019. Prof. Dr. Mechsner leads numerous research projects and clinical studies focusing on the pathogenesis and pain mechanisms of endometriosis and has received numerous awards and honors for her work.

• 

  Dr. Christiane Neubaur

  Managing Director, Verband der Cannabis versorgenden Apotheken (VCA)

  I look forward to discussing the topic "What do the Latest Regulations Mean for Patients and Pharmacies?" The situation facing patients is reflected in pharmacies.

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  Dr. Christiane Neubaur is a pharmacist who studied pharmacy in Kiel. She earned her doctorate at the University of Duisburg-Essen’s Faculty of Medicine under the supervision of psychologist Prof. Schedlowski. She managed her own pharmacy until 2012. Subsequently, she worked as a speaker and trainer for several pharmaceutical companies and as a locum pharmacist. Since 2017, she has focused on medicinal cannabis and its potential applications. In June 2021, she became the Managing Director of the Association of Cannabis-Dispensing Pharmacies (VCA), where she maintains a continuous dialogue with pharmacies, physicians, the cannabis industry, and policymakers. Since July 2022, she has produced a podcast featuring patients discussing their cannabis therapy; the show aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis patients. A second podcast, “ArztCann”, was launched in 2024, focusing on physician-to-physician discussions of case studies.

  LinkedIn ↗

• To be announced

  Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin (ACM)

• To be announced

  Professor of Psychiatry

• To be announced

  Clinical trials

• To be announced

  Association of Cannabis Supplying Pharmacies (VCA)

• To be announced

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