With its progressive medical cannabis legislation, Germany is leading the way across Europe. While other countries are hesitant to open their health systems to this remedy, doctors in this country have a lot of room for maneuver. For chronic illnesses, they can prescribe different cannabis strains or extracts with the ingredients CBD and THC for their patients at their own discretion. In the public, however, there is still a lot of uncertainty and false information on the subject is circulating again and again. These are the facts.
legal
In Germany, cannabis is still considered Narcotics classified. With precisely defined exceptions, possession and sale are therefore punishable by law. Only those who have a doctor's prescription are allowed to purchase cannabis - and only in the pharmacy. Doctors are free to decide who gets the drug and who doesn't. The only requirement is that the patient suffers from a chronic serious illness. The doctor can then prescribe up to 100 grams of dried flowers. Those affected do not have to worry about a police check, provided they can prove that they legally own the cannabis.
When is cannabis used?
Cannabis is prescribed for a wide variety of chronic diseases. The effectiveness is differently well documented. With certain forms of epilepsy, appetite disorders and Pain the effectiveness is considered to be assured. On the other hand, the effectiveness against depression or intestinal diseases is controversial. It is therefore up to the doctor to assess whether a therapy with cannabis promises success in individual cases. Therefore, cannabis is often first prescribed on a trial basis. Treatment is only continued if there are signs that the therapy is successful. The amount of cannabis is increased slowly if necessary. The maximum permissible amount of 100 grams per month is hardly used in practice.
Different sorts
20 years ago, cannabis was the same as cannabis and was sold by shady characters in front of bars and pubs on Friday evenings. Nowadays there are online pharmacies and seed shops that sell dozens of strains. Medicinal variants often have higher levels of CBD, but also contain a certain amount of THC. Rosetta Stone For example, it has both a relaxing and a stimulating effect. It is often used to treat symptoms such as stress, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Strains with a high ratio of CBD to THC are also preferred because they reduce side effects such as drowsiness or fatigue.
Doctor's prescription for cannabis
The medicinal properties of cannabis have only been recognized in medicine for a relatively short time. Accordingly, many doctors are still skeptical about this option. In addition, medical professionals are often reluctant to allow themselves to be exploited by recreational users. In practice, it is therefore not always easy to get a prescription for cannabis. The first point of contact should always be the family doctor or the treating specialist. They know the patient's history and can therefore usually best estimate whether treatment with cannabis makes sense. If the family doctor does not want to write a prescription for cannabis, you can get a second opinion. More and more doctors have specialized in treatment with cannabis and can therefore assess particularly well whether this therapy promises success. If the specialist advises against treatment with cannabis, then it is probably not the right approach.