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Cannabis on prescription New laws do not bring much improvement for pain patients
In March, a law came into force in Germany to help facilitate access to medical cannabis for certain patients. But apparently the new regulation has hardly brought any improvements for pain patients. On the contrary, for some patients the situation has worsened.
Cannabis on prescription
Since March 10, 2017, a new law is in force in Germany, which should help critically ill people to receive cannabis by prescription. The new regulation provides for the complete reimbursement of health insurance. Meanwhile, however, criticism has come up. The new law regulating cannabis preparations has so far brought little improvement for pain patients. For some, the situation has even worsened since the reorganization.
Since March, there is a law designed to help critically ill patients gain access to prescription cannabis. Experts and stakeholders criticize, however, that the situation for many patients with the new regulation has not improved. (Image: Africa Studio / fotolia.com) New law should help seriously ill people
Since March, doctors in this country may prescribe cannabis preparations, when all other treatment options have been exhausted. Even before the law was passed marijuana was used in Germany for medical purposes.
However, the patients needed a special permit, which had to be issued by the competent Federal Office for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). About one thousand seriously ill people received such a permit.
With the new law, this exemption is no longer necessary. Those who are legally insured and receive medical marijuana receive a claim for reimbursement by their health insurance.
"However, the insured must agree to participate in an accompanying research," says the statement of the Federal Government.
Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe stated: "Seriously ill people must be provided with the best possible care. This means that the costs of cannabis as medicine for seriously ill people are covered by their health insurance if they can not be helped otherwise. "
But of the best possible supply can obviously be no question.
Situation of patients partially worsened
As the chairman of the working group "cannabis as medicine", the doctor Franjo Grotenhermen, explained according to a message from the news agency dpa, the new law for many patients has so far not led to an improvement.
Those affected would first have to find a doctor who would prescribe anything at all. And then the first prescription for each patient must be approved by the health insurance companies. They are often denied.
In addition, according to doctors Grotenhermen threatened because of the high cost of cannabis a recourse for exceeding their budget. The administrative burden was great for the medical profession with cannabis patients. "Since the policy has to improve," said the physician.
The self-help network cannabis medicine (SCM) goes in the criticism even a step further.
In a "protest mailer" they write that it has since been found "that the overwhelming majority of the often overburdened patients are confronted with new hurdles and stumbling blocks and for many of those who have been able to obtain their cannabis in pharmacies due to an exemption from the Federal Opium Office, the situation has even worsened drastically ".
They also point out that many doctors refuse to prescribe cannabis because they are partially afraid of recourse claims of the health insurance.
Cannabis helps with many diseases
A federal government cannabis agency handles the import of medicinal cannabis medicines. Depending on requirements, it also awards contracts for the cultivation of medicinal hemp.
From 2019, the agency wants to grow marijuana in Germany. In the years 2021 and 2022 2,000 kilograms of cannabis are to be harvested in this country.
In which diseases cannabis helps, has been partially proven in scientific studies.
According to the German Hanfverband, the five most common diagnoses for which German patients were granted a waiver to buy and hold medical cannabis were chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, ADHD, Tourette syndrome and depressive disorders.
In addition, marijuana can suppress nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy and stimulate the appetite for AIDS.
In addition, cannabis should be helpful against migraine. It is also known that marijuana expands the bronchi and thus can improve the respiration of asthma patients. But the intoxicant should not be smoked with tobacco as a joint. (Ad)