German SPD Will Not Support Draft Cannabis Amendment “Under Any Circumstances”
Last month, Germany’s Health Ministry released a draft medical cannabis amendment that seeks to roll back Germany’s medical cannabis regulations significantly. The proposed changes contained within the draft amendment include:
- Mandatory in-person doctor consultations
- A ban on mail-order medical cannabis dispensing
- Stricter rules for medical cannabis prescriptions
Fortunately, not everyone in Germany’s governing coalition is in favor of the proposed changes. Leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was recently asked what the SPD’s position on the draft amendment is, and what the SPD will do to oppose the announced amendment.
“The Federal Ministry of Health wants to restrict telemedicine and prescribe only after personal contact and no longer allow mail delivery.” a concerned member of the public asked on the platform Abgeordnetenwatch (translated from German to English), as originally reported by krautinvest. “What is the SPD’s position on this? And what, if anything, does it intend to do to oppose the change?”
“The Ministry of Health, under the new Union Minister Warken, has now presented a draft bill intended to address the increase in imports of medical cannabis. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, this is primarily due to the increased use of private prescriptions for self-payers via online platforms, without any doctor-patient contact. Therefore, misuse of medical cannabis is assumed. The ministry has stated that, for patient protection, it intends to ensure consultation before consumption and therefore restrict online sales.” Ms. Carmen Wegge, SPD member of the German Bundestag, stated in her response to the inquiry (translated from German to English).
As alluded to by Ms. Wegge in her response to the inquiry, Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) recently published medical cannabis import data for the second quarter of 2025, and once again, Germany’s emerging legal medical cannabis industry set a new record for import totals.
In the second quarter of 2025, Germany imported 43.257 tonnes of medical cannabis products according to BfArM’s data. That is an increase over the previous record set in Q1 2025 of 37.519 tonnes, and a significant increase compared to Q2 2024 when Germany imported 11.634 tonnes of medical cannabis products. Below is a graph of historical import totals from BfArM:
“For us as the SPD, however, in addition to protecting and adequately advising patients, it is crucial to ensure reliable, local, and accessible care. Digital care is particularly important for people with chronic and/or serious illnesses, as well as in areas with inadequate primary care. Therefore, we will not support the current version of the bill under any circumstances.” Ms. Wegge also stated.
“In the upcoming discussions, we will therefore develop a solution that will ensure that medicinal cannabis remains readily accessible to all patients who need it, while simultaneously ensuring patient protection. The initial draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Health will now be discussed with experts in the ministry and subsequently debated in the cabinet before a decision is made there and a potential draft bill from the ministry is submitted to the Bundestag. In the Bundestag, it will be discussed in the relevant specialist committees, and Struck’s Law applies, which stipulates that no bill leaves committee deliberations in the same condition as it was submitted. Many negotiation steps will therefore still take place before a possible decision is made in the Bundestag, and we as the SPD will advocate for a good solution for patients.” Ms. Wegge added.
“Even though we must primarily defend the drug policy achievements of the last legislative period, we will not lose sight of the goal. I remain convinced that full legalization of cannabis, in compliance with European law, and its sale in licensed specialist stores is the best way forward, and that medical care must be made as simple as possible. I can assure you that I will fight for political majorities that make this possible, and I will not shy away from discussions with the Union.” Ms. Carmen Wegge concluded.
(The featured image of this article of Bundestag member Carmen Wegge is a photo by Anna Voelske.)
