It has been one year since Germany fully legalized cannabis on April 1, 2025, following the launch of its medical program in 2017. While cannabis was removed from the narcotics list, Germany continues to take a medical-first approach. Few expect full adult-use legalization anytime soon, particularly after a conservative government was elected last year.

According to Dr. Julian Wichmann, CEO of Bloomwell Group, Germany’s leading cannabis telemedicine platform, the market still has enormous growth potential. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of Germans are even aware that a legal medical cannabis program exists.

Germany is effectively creating the blueprint for the European Union’s cannabis framework through its telehealth system. Cannabis is prescribed by a physician, dispensed by a pharmacy, and shipped directly to the patient’s home. Patients do not need to be physically present, a model that has dramatically expanded access while maintaining medical oversight.

At the same time, Germany’s social clubs, which allow groups to collectively cultivate cannabis for personal consumption, have struggled to deliver a reliable supply. Several clubs have reported failed harvests, forcing them to discard entire crops. Many operations lack agricultural expertise and operational efficiency, and in some cases, the cost of club-grown cannabis exceeds medical market pricing. With supply abundant and prices low, medical cannabis currently sells for as little as three euros per gram, making it a more consistent and affordable option for many consumers.

Bad Actors Outside of Germany

European law allows online businesses to operate across borders within the EU, and cracks are beginning to appear in the telemedicine system. According to Wichmann, bad actors operating from outside Germany have entered the market, exploiting regulatory gaps. Because these companies are not physically based in Germany, they are not fully subject to German law, making enforcement difficult.

In one recent case, a data breach was exposed, but German authorities were limited in their ability to intervene. To address this issue, Wichmann says regulators are now considering new rules that would require cannabis telemedicine providers to be physically established in Germany.

Cannabis Is Reviving German Pharmacies

Germany’s pharmacy sector has been under intense pressure for years, facing rising operating costs and stagnant government reimbursement rates. As a result, pharmacies have been closing at an alarming pace, particularly in rural areas. In 2025 alone, Germany recorded 502 pharmacy closures and just 62 new openings, leaving 16,601 pharmacies nationwide. That is the lowest number since 1977.

The demographic challenge is equally severe. Many pharmacy owners are between 65 and 70 years old and struggle to find successors. Younger pharmacists often opt for higher-paying roles in industry rather than taking on the financial risk of running a community pharmacy.

Medical cannabis has helped reverse that trend. Most German pharmacies are independent, family-owned businesses, and many are now hiring staff, expanding their facilities, and serving up to 1,000 cannabis patients per day. For a sector that has been financially battered, cannabis has become a genuine comeback story.

There are no multinational corporations shipping medical cannabis directly into Germany. All products must go through licensed German pharmacies. “For many pharmacies, this was a completely new sector,” Wichmann says. “The knowledge and logistics they’ve developed are truly impressive.”

A Telemedicine Shutdown Looms

Despite the sector’s growth, prohibition-minded policymakers continue to threaten restrictions on telemedicine and mail delivery. While no final decision has been made, Wichmann says signs of compromise are emerging.

“I think we’re going to see a solution that regulates the sector but also provides stability so it can continue to grow,” he says.

Surprisingly, no centralized cannabis patient registry exists anywhere in the EU, even though the International Narcotics Control Board requires them. Wichmann estimates that just over one million patients receive at least one cannabis prescription per year, a figure he considers far too low. “I think that number should increase tenfold over the next two to three years,” he says.

Telemedicine Connects Doctors, Pharmacies, and Patients

According to Dr. Julian Wichmann, one of the biggest barriers to medical cannabis access in Germany is not regulation but the lack of physician participation. Even after legalization and the rise of telemedicine, many local doctors still do not prescribe cannabis, particularly those operating within statutory health insurance systems. In some cases, physicians are more willing to prescribe opioids and may even require patients to try them before considering cannabis, despite opioids’ well-documented risks and addiction potential.

Wichmann argues that this hesitation stems from a lack of education and hands-on experience. Prescribing cannabis is one thing, but having the knowledge and expertise to care for hundreds or even thousands of cannabis patients requires specialized training.

Patients do not receive a medical card in Germany’s telemedicine model. A valid prescription is sufficient. Through platforms like Bloomwell, patients can access licensed physicians either digitally or in person, complete consultations, and receive prescriptions that specialized pharmacies can fill. Wichmann says many patients already understand their conditions and only need limited initial interaction, with more meaningful questions arising weeks or months into treatment once they have tested the product.

Digital care allows patients to revisit guidance, dosing recommendations, and educational resources over time, something that is difficult in traditional healthcare settings where new patient visits may last only two to three minutes. With telemedicine, patients typically see a doctor every four weeks. In contrast, in traditional German healthcare, patients may wait three months for a prescription renewal. Critics argue that telemedicine lowers the barrier too far, but Wichmann believes that longer onboarding alone does not make cannabis safer.

Access to pharmacies remains another challenge. Although all German pharmacies are legally required to fill cannabis prescriptions, fewer than 10 percent currently do so in practice. Telemedicine platforms play a key role in connecting patients with pharmacies that specialize in cannabis, allowing prescriptions to be filled and delivered, often within 48 hours.

With more than 400 cannabis strains and product formats available, Wichmann says cannabis does not fit neatly into conventional healthcare models. Telemedicine, he argues, reflects how patients actually manage cannabis treatment over time.

Telemedicine Does the Heavy Lifting for Doctors

Telemedicine has significantly improved physician efficiency, allowing doctors to care for far more cannabis patients than would be possible in traditional settings. According to Wichmann, Bloomwell developed its own government-approved e-prescription infrastructure because no standardized system existed in Germany. The platform was designed to meet both legal and logistical requirements, reducing administrative burden and enabling doctors to manage patient care at scale.

As a result, physicians on the platform can responsibly oversee thousands of patients over the course of a year, even as medical cannabis remains a bottleneck due to limited clinical expertise. Cannabis education is still absent from medical school curricula, leaving most doctors to develop knowledge independently. Bloomwell provides structured onboarding and education for physicians entering the space.

Technology is increasingly central to clinical decision-making. With hundreds of cannabis products available and frequent supply changes, determining the most appropriate product or strain for a specific patient remains complex. Wichmann believes data-driven tools and algorithms will be critical to improving consistency and outcomes, particularly as current prescribing practices rely heavily on anecdotal evidence rather than large-scale analysis.

While AI-driven clinical insights are a long-term goal, Bloomwell’s immediate focus remains operational reliability. Ensuring seamless coordination among patients, doctors, pharmacies, and logistics providers remains the primary challenge. As regulations continue to evolve, workflows may need to adapt, but Wichmann views the company’s growing data capabilities as both a responsibility and a foundation for future clinical innovation in the cannabis industry.

The Pharmacy Compounding Debate

Although some manufacturers argue that pharmacy compounding introduces unnecessary risk, Wichmann disagrees. In Germany, pharmacists are still required to compound medical cannabis because the product is technically prescribed off-label. Even when the process involves little more than weighing and repackaging, it is legally considered a pharmaceutical preparation.

According to Wichmann, pharmacies that specialize in cannabis have adapted by building larger, more efficient facilities to streamline compounding workflows. Rather than limiting innovation, the system has enabled the development of a wider range of cannabis formulations beyond flower, including liquids, oral preparations, and other dosage forms prepared directly in pharmacies.

Wichmann argues that pharmacy compounding adds an additional layer of quality control. Cannabis products are tested again at the pharmacy level, and German pharmacies are subject to strict audits. Despite the extra step, prices remain competitive and, in many cases, lower than those on the illicit market. He believes the model ultimately makes medical cannabis safer and more accessible for patients.

Bloomwell is expanding its services by offering pharmacy pickup and enhancing last-mile delivery options, in addition to shipping, ensuring patients can access their medication quickly while keeping pharmacies central to the supply chain.

Germany is miles ahead of the US in establishing a functional framework for cannabis medicine. It is a model that US policymakers should study closely.

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