EQS-News: Cabinet decision on the Medical Cannabis Act meets broad criticism / Cantourage expects changes and prepares to expand its “Telecan” platform

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Berlin, 15 October 2025 – The Cabinet draft to amend the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) triggered widespread media coverage last week—predominantly critical. The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) plans to prohibit initial prescriptions of medical cannabis flowers via telemedicine and to introduce a ban on mail‑order dispensing of cannabis by pharmacies.

General‑interest and trade media have in some cases reacted sharply to the proposals. DIE ZEIT argues the measures target “the wrong people” and could significantly impede patient care.^[1] In Pharmazeutische Zeitung, the German Association of Mail‑Order Pharmacies calls the planned shipping ban “overshooting the mark” and is counting on corrections during the parliamentary process.^[2] DER SPIEGEL describes the BMG’s proposal as “nonsensical,” assuming that criminals would be the main beneficiaries of the planned changes.^[3] Dissent is also emerging within the governing coalition: Carmen Wegge, legal policy spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group, and Dr. Christos Pantazis, the group’s health policy spokesperson, labelled the draft on Instagram as “not acceptable”—among other reasons because it discriminates against patient groups and violates European law. ^[4]

Medical cannabis is displacing the black market

“We welcome—and share—the widespread criticism from the media and policymakers of the planned legislative changes. As we set out in our statement this summer, the MedCanG in its current form undoubtedly has room for improvement,” says Philip Schetter, CEO of Cantourage. “And yet, over the past 18 months it has enabled hundreds of thousands of patients to begin cannabis therapy. Most of these people previously obtained cannabis on the black market—exactly where they would be pushed back if the BMG’s proposal were implemented, because otherwise there still is no functioning legal supply routes for cannabis. Criminals across Germany would be delighted. We are confident, however, that the upcoming parliamentary process will bring substantial changes to the BMG’s proposal.”

Committee and stakeholder hearings in parliament can, as experience shows, lead to substantive amendments to draft legislation—especially when, as is currently the case, legal and health‑policy objections have been raised. Moreover, the first interim report from the evaluation of the Cannabis Use Act (EKOCAN) reached the preliminary conclusion that there is currently no urgent need for action with respect to cannabis legalisation.^[5]

Also feeding into the process is an online petition currently before the German Bundestag calling for a halt to the planned changes to the medical cannabis law. With over 32,000 co‑signatures (as of 15 October 2025), the petition enjoys broad public support.^[6] Cantourage expressly supports the petition and calls on everyone to sign in order to prevent a resurgence of the cannabis black market in Germany.

Keep virtual first consultations and mail‑order dispensing possible

Philip Schetter demands: “A mandatory initial consultation between doctor and patient with clear quality standards is definitely a sensible legislative adjustment—there is broad consensus on this across the industry. However, it must also be possible to conduct this consultation virtually. At our in‑house telemedicine provider ‘Telecan’, this has always been standard practice and has proven itself in everyday care.”

Schetter, by contrast, calls for the complete deletion of the proposed pharmacy shipping ban: “Because of the wide range of strains and effect profiles, cannabis flower is a highly specialized field. Of the roughly 17,000 pharmacies in Germany, only a few hundred deal with the topic in any significant way—a shipping ban would make access to cannabis products virtually impossible for many people.”

Cantourage will further optimize its telemedicine offering “Telecan” over the coming months in anticipation of possible changes. The platform for cannabis therapies already meets all requirements of the German medical professional code of conduct for physicians and has seen an increase in new registrations since the planned legislative changes became known.

Cantourage will continue to closely monitor the legislative process and provide updates on the next steps.

Sources (all in German):
^[1]DIE ZEIT, „Kein Gras mehr im Sommerschlussverkauf“ (08.10.2025).
^[2]Pharmazeutische Zeitung, „Cannabis‑Versandverbot 'nicht im Sinne der Apotheken'“ (09.10.2025).
^[3]DER SPIEGEL, „Der unsinnige Kampf gegen Gras auf Rezept“ (10.10.2025).
^[4]Carmen Wegge und Dr. Christos Pantazis on Instagram: „Kein Rückschritt bei Patient:innenrechten!“ (10.10.2025).
^[5]Universität Hamburg, „Evaluation des Konsumcannabisgesetzes (EKOCAN): 1. Zwischenbericht“ (29.09.2025).
^[6]Deutscher Bundestag, petition „Geplante Änderungen des medizinischen Cannabis-Gesetzes stoppen“.

About Cantourage
Cantourage is a leading European company for the production and distribution of medical cannabis. Cantourage enables growers worldwide to sell products in European medical markets. Founded in 2019, the company works with more than 60 cannabis growers from 18 countries. Cantourage ensures the highest pharmaceutical quality standards along the value chain and offers products in all relevant market segments: dried flowers, extracts, dronabinol and cannabidiol. The company has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since November 11, 2022, under the ticker symbol “HIGH”.

Contact Investor Relation
ir@cantourage.com

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