Since 2017, medical cannabis can be prescribed by doctors in Germany under certain circumstances. Cannabis cultivation was not available in Germany initially, so all flowers had to be imported.
To meet growing demand and reduce reliance on imports, three medical cannabis companies were granted licenses in 2019 that entitle them to grow a total of 10,400 kilos of medical cannabis in Germany over four years.
The majority of medical cannabis companies in Germany import and sell cannabis to the so-called Cannabis Agency of the Federal Institute for Medicines and Medical Products (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte or BfArM), which will then sell it to pharmacies. In July 2021, the first German cannabis flowers were sold to pharmacies by the BfArM Cannabis Agency.
Germany imported a record amount of cannabis for medical sale and scientific use in the first half of 2022, putting the European Union’s largest market on track to match or even surpass exceed, the 2021 total.
Imports of flowers and extracts in the first six months of 2022 reached 10,487 kilograms, 6.1% more than in the first half of the year, according to data from the Federal Institute of Medicines and of medical devices (BfArM) compiled by MJBiz.
Imports of medical cannabis in Germany, compiled by MJBiz
In the year 2021, Germany imported 20,589 kilograms of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, a substantial increase from the 13,346 kilograms imported in 2020.
The medical market is constantly growing and supply circuits have been evolving for 5 years. Canada, the country’s leading supplier, now faces competition from European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal, which are stepping up their production and export efforts. Some Canadian companies like Aurora have also relocated their production to Denmark and now produce on European soil before exporting to Germany.
Origin of medical cannabis imports in Germany, compiled by MJBiz
If Germany does not communicate on its legal cannabis sales, the market is estimated at 300 million euros, with still room for growth, whether by the number of patients or by the development of a real home production. The addition of a recreational market could well drastically increase these figures!
