MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) will be responsible for cannabis grow operations and act as the federal "cannabis agency," the Health Ministry said.
"Our goal is to provide the best care for seriously ill people. We want the costs of patients using medical marijuana to be covered by their health insurance plans when there is no other cure," Health Minister Hermann Grohe said.
The federal government stressed that relaxed rules on medical marijuana "change nothing in the government’s position on legalizing cannabis." It said that planting or using marijuana for recreational purposes will continue to be illegal across Germany.
"Cannabis is not a harmless substance, so it will not be legalized for private use," Marlene Mortler, the federal government’s commissioner for drugs control, said.
