Germany’s imports of medical cannabis in the first quarter of this year were more than four times that of the same period in 2024.

According to the country’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, aka BfArM), 37.223 tonnes of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes in the form of dried flower and extracts were imported into the country in the first 3 months of 2025, compared to 8.143 tonnes in Q1, 2024.

The leading originating sources of this cannabis were Canada, providing 16.057 tonnes, followed by Portugal (12.059 tonnes) and Denmark with 2.634 tonnes.

Australia’s contribution for the period was a bit player at just 804 kilograms. But Australian cannabis could see a bigger year in 2025 considering imports from Australia for the full year of 2024 amounted to 1.428 tonnes.

Germany legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes in 2017 and the German parliament passed the Cannabis Act in February 2024, which further legalized cannabis for recreational use.

A doctor can prescribe medical cannabis when they believe it is appropriate for a patient’s serious medical condition if a standard therapy is not available or proves unsuitable. Health insurance companies will often reimburse the cost of the prescription.

But Germany has always had an issue with lack of local supply, hence high levels of imports accelerated by changes to related regulations making medical cannabis easier to access.

However, domestic production has been picking up as it is no longer restricted by centralised tenders and redistribution, but is now open to any producer who obtains a licence. Domestic production had been limited to 2.6 tonnes, and the few producers successful in the tendering process were required deliver production to the national Cannabis Agency, which was then responsible for distribution.

In July last year, Germany’s DEMECAN became the first German company to receive a cultivation license for medical cannabis under the new Medical Cannabis Law (MedCanG). At the time, the company said this would allow it to immediately double its production.

In terms of recreational cannabis, adults can cultivate up to three plants per person of legal age at their residence for the purpose of personal consumption and an adult may store up to 50 grammes of dried cannabis for personal consumption there.