With just three weeks to go before the general election, the CDU and its Bavarian ally, the CSU, have announced in their election manifesto that they want to “abolish the previous government’s cannabis law”. With these parties leading the polls, this election promise could well take Germany back to the age of prohibition.
The CDU/CSU leads with 31% of voting intentions. But to govern, it will have to form an alliance with another party, automatically excluding the far-right AfD, currently second in the polls. A headache that could force her to come to terms with a pro-cannabis formation.
The main argument against legalization? The explosion in medical cannabis prescriptions, suspected of masking disguised recreational use. This situation is exacerbated by the extremely slow licensing process for cultivation associations.
In its election manifesto, the CDU/CSU insists that the current law “protects drug dealers and exposes our children to drugs and addiction”. Shocking rhetoric, but unclear: would the annulment of the law also mean the return of medical cannabis to the list of narcotics?
Interviewed by Handelsblatt, Tino Sorge, the party’s health spokesman, denounced legalization as“a serious mistake to be corrected“, without specifying whether this would involve a return to narcotic status.
Opponents’ main argument? Access to medical cannabis is too easy, making it a detour for recreational users. Companies such as Dr Ansay are in the firing line, accused of taking advantage of loopholes in the system to allow prescriptions without any real medical control.
A shocking report by ZDF reveals that the platform makes it easy to obtain prescriptions via simple online questionnaires, avoiding physical consultations. Worse still, some EU doctors are allegedly prescribing cannabis without respecting ethical rules. One Austrian practitioner is said to have issued prescriptions without ever meeting her patients, as her business address could not be found.
Booming economy under pressure
At the same time, the imbroglio surrounding cultivation associations is blocking legal access to recreational cannabis. To date, only 90 licenses have been granted out of 442 applications, slowing the growth of the legal market and fuelling consumption via the black market or medical cannabis.
Despite these headwinds, the medical cannabis industry has never been healthier. According to a report by the Bloomwell Group, pharmacies recorded a 1,000% increase in prescriptions between March and December 2023, boosted by the law that came into force on April 1.
The varieties available almost doubled, and the average price per gram fell from €9.27 in January to €8.35 in November. Strains with a high THC content (over 25%) are gaining ground, accounting for 29% of prescriptions at the end of the year.
In the run-up to the February 23 vote, industry professionals are stepping up to the plate to defend the CanG Act. The German Association of Cannabis Companies (BvCW) has published a manifesto entitled Cannabis as an Engine of Growth: Industrial Opportunities and Policy Options. Its president, Dirk Heitepriem, stresses the importance of this market for foreign investment and the crisis-hit German economy.
David Henn, of Semdor Pharma, warns: “If the law were repealed, it would be an earthquake for the industry. I’m convinced that 70% of companies in the sector would disappear within a year.
But not everyone is opposed to stricter regulation, particularly for teleconsultations. The BvCW advocates modernizing the rules to better regulate these practices, while preserving access for patients in rural areas.
Against this explosive backdrop, Germany plays a decisive role in the future of cannabis on the Old Continent from February 23.
