Kiel, March 21, 2022 - BARMER has received 778 applications for cannabis-containing medicines in Schleswig-Holstein since the Cannabis Act came into force on March 10, 2017 until the end of last year. Of these, 485 applications, or 61.5 percent, were approved and 293 were rejected. The number of cases has declined in the past two years. This emerges from a current analysis by BARMER on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Cannabis Act. Accordingly, there were 189 applications in 2019 and 156 and 155 in the following years. “The big hype about cannabis seems to be over and it is being used more specifically. In an overall therapeutic concept, cannabis can be a useful part of the treatment for seriously ill patients. But it is not a panacea and is insufficient as a painkiller alone,” says Dr. Bernd Hillebrandt, regional manager of BARMER in Schleswig-Holstein. Further studies will also be necessary in the future in order to better understand the complex mechanisms of action of cannabis and to integrate them into individual treatment concepts. In addition to pain, spasticity in cases such as multiple sclerosis and nausea and vomiting in connection with cancer treatment are common areas of use for cannabis.

Fewer prescriptions during the corona pandemic
In addition to more targeted use, the corona pandemic obviously also has an influence on the number of prescriptions for cannabis-containing preparations, Hillebrandt continued. Between May 2018 and March 2020 there were always between nine and ten applications per month in Schleswig-Holstein. Since April 2020, the number has leveled off at around seven to eight applications. “Especially at the height of the corona pandemic, insured people go to the doctor less often. This is also evident in the cannabis applications,” says Hillebrandt.

Use of cannabis flowers requires experience
According to the analysis, BARMER policyholders in Schleswig-Holstein received almost 5,000 prescriptions for cannabis-containing preparations worth around 2.2 million euros from March 2017 to November 2021. These included 721 prescriptions of unprocessed cannabis flowers. “Both the treating doctors and the patients need experience to use cannabis flowers. They are difficult to dose and the effect cannot be easily controlled. “In addition, the usual use as inhalation with the help of vaporizers is time-consuming for patients,” said BARMER regional director Hillebrandt. It is not advisable to use it as a tea, as the transfer of the active ingredients into the water is very variable, especially if prepared incorrectly. The cannabis flowers would need to be kept simmering for 15 minutes. Easier to dose and use than cannabis flowers are liquid cannabis extracts to take orally, a mouth spray or the isolated cannabis active ingredient dronabinol in the form of capsules or drops to take orally.