Since the country of Germany has legalized marijuana in March of 2017 for medicinal purposes, the demand for the drug has been soaring.
German law allows patients to access cannabis on prescription and charge health insurance companies for it.
German health insurance company Techniker-Krankenkasse, or TK, and the University of Bremen have reported that as of February nearly 16,000 patients nationwide had applied to be reimbursed for medical marijuana costs, compared to around 1,100 before the law came into effect.
In their report, “Cannabis Report,” the authors are questioning the medical benefits of the drug.
Gerd Glaseke, a University of Bremen professor and author of the study, “It is unclear which groups of patients cannabis helps in which dose — and in which form it should best be administered.”
Glaseke believes the side effects of cannabis still need to be investigated further.
TK manager Jens Baas remarked, “Before the health insurance company pays for it, any added benefit the drug may have must be justified.”