After several months of skepticism in Germany began the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes. The first harvest was successful and the supply of pharmacies has also started.
The Canadian company Aphria RX harvested almost 50 kilograms of cannabis at its first legal plantation in Neumünster in the Schleswig-Holstein state in northern Germany. The plantation resembles a high security prison and is surrounded by reinforced concrete walls because cannabis in Germany is treated under the narcotics law.
Apharia plantation resembles a high security prison Cannabis plantation will be distributed to pharmacies throughout Germany and they can sell it to people who use cannabis for medical reasons – for example due to severe pain, spasms or loss of appetite. Aphria plans to increase its supply by up to one tonne in the next twelve months.
Cannabis with a doctor’s prescription
As of 2017 doctors are allowed to give patients prescription to use cannabis as medication. To meet the demand for cannabis the German Federal Institute of Drugs and Medical Devices commissioned three companies to cultivate cannabis. In addition to Aphria RX, the Canadian company Aurora and the German company Demecan are allowed to cultivate cannabis in Germany.
There are up to 90,000 people in Germany today who use cannabis for medical purposes. Cannabis therapy costs from 200 to 2200 euros per month. But in about 40% of cases health insurance companies do not cover the costs of cannabis treatment, even though the patient may have received a prescription from a doctor.
