The Symposium comes as Germany continues to assess the impact of the Cannabis Act (CanG), which came into force in April 2024 and changed the legal framework surrounding medical and non-medical cannabis
What is the Cannabis Health Symposium?
The Cannabis Health Symposium is an evidence-led educational event bringing together healthcare professionals, industry and patient advocates to explore developments in medical cannabis research, clinical practice, regulation and patient access
The Frankfurt programme will focus on Germany’s evolving medical cannabis landscape, with the first confirmed speakers including cannabis policy specialist Antonia Menzel and healthcare lawyer Sita Schubert
They will be joined by Professor Bernd Werse of Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and women’s health scientist Dr Shabnam Sarshar
The programme is still being finalised, but nine key themes have been announced so far
EKOCAN public health findings
The latest findings from EKOCAN, the government-mandated research programme examining the impact of Germany’s cannabis reforms, will be among the topics discussed
The session will consider what the emerging evidence means for patient care, prescribing and wider public-health policy
Telemedicine: revolution or risk?
The rapid growth of telemedicine following CanG will also come under scrutiny, with the programme examining whether online access has improved patient care or blurred the distinction between medical treatment and adult-use access
The discussion will consider how access to treatment can be balanced with appropriate clinical oversight
The route to reimbursement
Access through Germany’s statutory health insurance system will form another key part of the programme, with the majority of medical cannabis prescriptions still privately funded
Menzel, chair of the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies (BPC), said the size of Germany’s market did not necessarily reflect the level of patient access
“Germany has the largest medicinal cannabis market in Europe, but scale on its own tells us very little,” she said
“Two years after CanG, the majority of patients still fund their treatment privately.”
Menzel said closing the gap was “a shared task for clinicians, industry, policy and statutory health insurance alike”
The session will examine barriers to reimbursement and how evidence, health economics and policy could improve access
The expanding role of the pharmacist
The changing responsibilities of pharmacists will also be examined as medical cannabis prescribing increases
Discussions will cover dispensing, compounding, quality assurance, product selection and patient counselling, as well as the need for greater professional education
Driving, employment and patient rights
Another session will focus on the implications of Germany’s reforms for patients, including driving regulations, workplace policies and employment rights
The programme will examine recent developments and what patients and prescribers need to know about the rules surrounding medical cannabis use
Schubert, general secretary of the European Medicinal Cannabis Association (EUMCA), said Germany had been “at the forefront of the European cannabis evolution for years”
She said the Symposium would provide a platform to discuss “the latest medical regulations, patients’ rights and clinical innovations”
Cannabinoids vs opioids: a new class of treatment for chronic pain?
The potential role of cannabinoid medicines in chronic pain treatment will also be explored, including how they could fit alongside existing treatments such as opioids
The session follows the market authorisation of the first cannabinoid-based medicine for chronic lower-back pain in Germany and Austria earlier this year after more than a decade in development
Safe prescribing in mental health
The programme will examine the current evidence for cannabis-based medicines in psychiatric conditions, alongside questions around safety, dependency, psychosis risk and patient selection
The session will also consider risk mitigation and the role of cannabis-based medicines within wider mental health treatment pathways
Addressing unmet needs in women’s health
A multidisciplinary session will examine medical cannabis in women’s health, including menopause, endometriosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and chronic pelvic pain
Sarshar said midlife women represented a significant but underserved patient group
“Whether you’re in the cannabis industry to help people, to make money, or both, ‘Midlife Women’ is the market you can no longer ignore,” she said
“We’re the highest-potential patient segment, and the least-served.”
The session will examine the existing evidence, clinical experience and priorities for future research, as well as how healthcare professionals can better support women seeking treatment
The ECS: educating the next generation
The final theme announced so far will focus on education around the endocannabinoid system (ECS)
Despite the growing clinical use of cannabinoid medicines, formal education on the ECS remains limited. The session will examine how training is developing across universities and continuing professional education for healthcare professionals
Secure your place
The Cannabis Health Symposium Frankfurt will take place at Mainhaus on 4 November 2026, from 9.30am to 5pm
Find out more andbook tickets for the Cannabis Health Symposium Frankfurt
Concession tickets are available for healthcare professionals by application
