Germany Comes Through for Its Underprivileged Patients

COLOGNE, GERMANY:  On July 22, an administrative court– equivalent
to an American state or regional district federal court– approved a bill that
allows medical cannabis patients who cannot afford to pay for the drug, to grow
it at home for personal medicinal use.

The decision is a big one that will affect,
potentially not only the German state of Westphalia where it was decided, but
potentially national policy as well.  The
idea behind the precedent setting decision is that approval for home grows will
be done going forward on a case-by-case basis. 
Users must not only register with the state, but prove medical and
financial need to the federal German Department of Health (similar to the U.S.
FDA/HHS). 

Although medicinal cannabis is available in
Germany, steps to formally legalize it for recreational use are still in its
infancy. Just as in the U.S.— where public policy is now being pushed by the court
of public opinion—German politicians and legal authorities are being persuaded
to change their tone on cannabis due to a groundswell of public support for
legalization on all fronts.

Even though there is no formal “war on
drugs,” Germany is looking closely at the cost of not only healthcare provision,
but the cost of maintaining the public safety when analyzing questions
pertaining to reform.

In the last six months, the German
government released a (widely questioned) poll showing that the majority of
Germans still (supposedly) oppose legalization, while at the same time, the
Mayor of Kreuzberg, Berlin has petitioned the national government to allow her
district to open the nation’s first cannabis coffee shop.  The move is intended to cut down on the
administrative costs incurred by the police in processing drug arrests
(primarily of dealers).

German people, and the German government
alike, are watching developments now in Colorado and Washington, the two
American states where recreational sales are now legal.  It is not implausible to think that Germany
may lead cannabis reform in Europe. 

What is an absolute definite is that
governments around the world are looking closely at market leaders in the U.S.
when making decisions about what and how many steps to take towards the now
inevitable reality of reform. 

It is no longer a question of if, but
rather when.  This week’s decision by the
Cologne, Germany court only confirms the same.