Two-thirds of Germans are open to taking medicinal cannabis products

Three out of four Germans (75 percent) support the release of cannabis for medical purposes, only 17 percent oppose it. In addition, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) would use cannabis for medical reasons. This is the result of a recent survey in the field of healthcare research of the international market research and consulting institute YouGov.

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When it comes to specific ailments and illnesses, respondents who are generally positive about taking cannabis medicines are most likely to present a treatment with appropriate preparations for nausea during chemotherapy and radiotherapy (59 percent) or multiple sclerosis (49 percent) , But even with signs of aging such as rheumatism and aging depression (46 percent) or depression in general (36 percent), some would resort to medical cannabis. For less serious illnesses or ailments such as headache (25 percent), glaucoma (16 percent) or abdominal pain (12 percent), the approval rates are slightly lower.

The vast majority (72 percent) of Germans also believe that medical cannabis therapy should be reimbursed by health insurers and access to medical cannabis products should be simplified in pain medicine (68 percent). A little more (80 percent) still consider a prescription of such drugs appropriate. There is disagreement among the German population that the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes is the precursor to full legalization. About one in two (47 percent) agree or disagree with this statement (43 percent).

"The results show that the majority of Germans welcome this type of pain therapy. Furthermore, the responsible treatment of Germans with the question of legalization becomes clear. The introduction of cannabis in pain therapy is currently of particular concern from a patient perspective. Gradually, however, the topic will also be exciting from the perspective of the pharmaceutical industry, " Ella Jurowskaja, Consultant in Healthcare Research at YouGov. For the survey, a total of 2,012 persons were interviewed on the basis of the YouGov bus. (Pm)