Medicinal cannabis in Germany - Business Report

164 Confidential __________________________________________________________________________________ 10.3 Cannabis oil In addition, there is also CBD oil, which is legally available compared to Cannabis-based drugs. This contains a high proportion of CBD and THC of less than 0.2 percent, so it has no psychoactive effect. Cannabis oil and CBD oil are therefore practically the same. In Germany, Switzerland and Austria a very well-developed Cannabis oil industry has developed in recent years. The products manufactured there are of organic quality. The hand farmers and proces- sors pay great attention to sustainability and gentle manufacturing processes. This makes the Cannabis oil produced in the DACH region currently the best in the world. However, the Eastern European coun- tries and the Netherlands are following suit. CBD oil from Poland, Hungary or the Czech Republic is approximately comparable with Austrian or Swiss Cannabis. A particularly high likelihood of confusion exists in the unspecific use of the term "hemp oil". Can- nabis oil is also often called "hemp oil", but this is not correct. The hemp oil is the oil pressed from the hemp seeds and does not contain Cannabinoids. For comparison: one litre of good hemp oil costs about 20 euros. One litre of Cannabis oil costs up to 10.000 euros, depending on concentration and strength. In pharmacies, drugstores and on the Internet CBD oils are offered in concentrations of 3%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Depending on the concentration, the price increases. Prices start at around 15 euros and rise to over 200 euros for a small 30 ml bottle. As more and more farmers and companies are now cultivating hemp to obtain CBD oil, prices will continue to fall in the future. 10.4 Dronabinol The only Dronabinol finished product to date is Marinol®, which is manufactured and approved in the USA. It is available as a soft round gelatin capsule containing 2.5 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg of synthetically produced Dronabinol dissolved in sesame oil. One milligram of Marinol® costs about three to five eu- ros, depending on the package size. In Germany Dronabinol is only available as a prescription substance. As a rule, capsules or oily drops according to NRF regulations are made from it. Finished pharmaceuticals are available, for example, in the USA or Canada (trade name Marinol®) and can be imported if required in accordance with §73 AMG (individual import). The companies THC Pharm from Frankfurt and Bionorica Ethics from Neumarkt produce Dronabinol from fibre hemp. The Dronabinol of these two companies can be purchased by pharmacies for the production of pharmaceutical products (capsules or drops). Pharmacists use the official prescription regulations of the DAC (German Drug Codex), an institution of the German pharmacist associations, for this purpose. Dronabinol from THC Pharm or Delta 9 Pharma costs less than one third of the price of Marinol®. 500 mg Dronabinol costs the pharmacist 210 euros and the patient about 465 euros.