In letters of June 2007 to some patients the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products (BfArM, Bundesinstitut fuer Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte), an institution of the Federal Health Ministry, in principle concedes their right to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. The presented medical documents would show, that a treatment with the available medicinal drugs "turned out not to be successful so that the use of cannabis can be recommended from a clinical point of view" and that "an approved drug that would at least be as effective as cannabis for the treatment of your illness is currently not available," respectively.

The BfArM suggested to the patients to use a cannabis extract to be manufactured by a pharmacy designated by the patient. So far, it is unknown how expensive the extract will be and if the health insurances will reimburse the costs of the treatment. The applicants were asked by the BfArM to drop their application for an import of medicinal cannabis from the Netherlands and to accept the alternative proposed by the BfArM. "For reasons of precaution" the institute pointed out that in case of retention of their application they have to anticipate a dismissal. Although the cannabis produced by the Dutch company Bedrocan is standardized on THC and CBD the BfArM justifies it’s attitude with the "unknown and varying" concentrations of active agents, respectively.

(Sources: Letters of the BfArM to applicants for an approval of exemption for the medical use of cannabis)