The Year 2025 – Cannabis Policy Between Decriminalization and Re-Regulation

Adult-Use Cannabis: Decriminalization With Measurable Effects 

With the Cannabis Act entering into force in April 2024, cannabis consumption in Germany was comprehensively re-regulated for the first time. A central objective of the reform was to decriminalize consumption while steering it responsibly from a public health perspective. One year later, the first interim report by the ECOCAN evaluation group appointed by the federal government delivered important initial findings in the autumn. 

No increase in cannabis use among children and adolescents could be identified. Other frequently voiced concerns — such as an escalation of public consumption or significant additional burdens on municipalities — are likewise not supported by the available data. The evaluation therefore substantiates key assumptions of the reform and, for the first time, provides a robust empirical basis for further political debate. 

Limited Access Pathways and the Absence of Model Projects 

At the same time, the evaluation report makes clear that practical implementation in the adult-use sector has fallen short of expectations. Legal access pathways remain severely limited. Cannabis cultivation associations are struggling with complex approval procedures in many regions, and the number of licensed clubs remains well below initial projections. 

In addition, not a single one of the planned research projects has been approved, despite numerous applications having been submitted. As a result, precisely those controlled structures are missing that could both improve access and generate additional data for evidence-based regulatory development — in stark contrast to countries such as Switzerland, where comparable projects have been running successfully for around a year. 

The consequence: the legal adult-use market is currently able to meet existing demand only to a very limited extent. 

Medical Cannabis: Relief, Normalization, and New Momentum 

The new legislation also marked a major shift in the medical cannabis sector. By removing medical cannabis from the scope of narcotics law, a long-standing reform step was completed, lowering access barriers and normalizing care. For patients and physicians alike, this has meant greater room for maneuver, reduced stigmatization, and stronger integration into standard medical care. 

At the same time, the system remained in a phase of adjustment throughout this past year. Reimbursement risks and uncertainties in prescribing practices — particularly for statutory health insurance patients — persist. Nevertheless, it is unmistakable that medical cannabis has increasingly evolved from a niche product into a relevant segment of healthcare provision. 

Market Growth, Telemedicine, and Regulatory Re-Intervention 

This growth is reflected in sharply rising import volumes as well as in the rapid emergence of numerous telemedicine-based care models. Digital platforms have, for many patients, enabled low-threshold access to medical prescriptions for the first time, while an increasing number of mail-order pharmacies now deliver medications directly to patients’ homes. 

The new federal government has responded to these developments by presenting a draft bill to amend the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) in the summer of 2025. With its proposed ban on telemedicine and mail-order dispensing, the reform focuses less on the structural development of medical care and more on restricting and controlling access pathways. As a result, the medical cannabis sector is once again becoming the subject of law-and-order policy debates — despite its primary anchoring within the healthcare system. 

(As of today, 18 December, 9:55 p.m., the draft bill is on the agenda of the German Bundestag. Those interested can follow the debate live.) 

A System Put to the Test in Practice 

The developments illustrate how closely market dynamics, care provision, and political steering are intertwined — and how quickly imbalances can emerge when individual components function only partially. 

The coming year will therefore be decisive in determining whether policymakers succeed in establishing a regulatory framework that does justice to the differing realities involved: a growing market, a heterogeneous patient population — both within statutory health insurance and among self-pay patients — pharmacies as central care providers, and prescribing physicians who continue to operate between a duty of care and legal uncertainty. 

As the year comes to a close, we wish you peaceful holidays with your families and time to recover from the political and professional demands of everyday life. Health remains — regardless of regulatory debates — the most important asset. 

We thank all readers of the Cannabis Briefing who have accompanied us throughout the year. It has been a pleasure to walk this path together and to continuously contextualize developments in the cannabis sector. We wish you a successful start to the new year and look forward to continued exchange. 

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We wish you a good read!

Best wishes from both of us,