Modified narcotic right cannabis for seriously ill on prescription

Critically ill people can get cannabis by prescription
Doctors may order seriously ill people to use cannabis medicine if it favors healing or relieves pain. The costs are reimbursed by the statutory health insurance. The amended Narcotic Law will come into effect in March.

Cannabis medicines on prescription
Severely ill patients will be able to receive prescription cannabis medicines in the future. The costs are reimbursed by the statutory health insurance. The Federal Council has approved amendments to the Narcotics Act, the Federal Government reports in a statement. Accordingly, other therapeutic options must be exhausted. Or the treating physician decides in individual cases that therapeutic alternatives are not appropriate. In addition, cannabis medicines should only be prescribed if the intake is likely to improve the symptoms or the course of the disease.

In March, a new law will come into force that will allow seriously ill patients to be prescribed cannabis remedy from their doctor. The costs are reimbursed by the statutory health insurance. (Image: goodmanphoto / fotolia.com)

Reimbursement by the health insurance
Even before the law was passed, cannabis was used in Germany for medical purposes. According to a newspaper report, at the end of last year, over one thousand seriously ill people were able to buy marijuana for therapy.

The new law, which provides for the full reimbursement of health insurance, has long been controversial. For example, doctors in Germany had spoken out against free marijuana on sickness certificates.

But now it's finally passed. "Seriously ill people need the best possible care. This includes the fact that the costs of cannabis as a medicine for critically ill patients are covered by their health insurance, if they can not be helped otherwise effectively, "said Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe.

Self-cultivation is prohibited
According to the government communication, medicinal hemp can be prescribed, for example, for pain patients, multiple sclerosis or certain psychiatric disorders.

But: "The law does not change the attitude of the federal government to the release of cannabis: The self-cultivation - even for medical purposes - and its use for intoxication purposes remain prohibited," it says in the message.

The Bundestag had passed the amendments to the Narcotics Act necessary for the release on 19 January, after they had been launched in May 2016 by the Federal Government. On February 10, the amendments were approved by the Federal Council.

Insured persons must take part in an accompanying research
A state-run cannabis agency based at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) will handle the import of medicinal cannabis medicines.

The institute already has experience with medicinal hemp. For anyone who wanted to be a seriously ill cannabis drug could apply to the BfArM for a derogation from the general cultivation ban on cannabis.

With the new law, this exemption will no longer be necessary. Those who have statutory health insurance are entitled to reimbursement by their health insurance. "However, the insured must agree to participate in an accompanying research," says the statement.

According to the information provided, this accompanying research consists in a data collection, whereby the transmitted data are "processed in anonymous form and only for the purpose of scientific research".

The findings of the Federal Joint Committee want to use this information to decide in which cases cannabis will be prescribed in the future at the expense of the SHI. (Ad)