Post-legalization rise in German medical cannabis interest: evidence from Google trends as surrogate marker

BACKGROUND: Medical cannabis legislation in Germany shifted significantly with the Medical Cannabis Act in March 2017, enabling physician prescriptions under specific conditions, and further evolved with the Cannabis Act (CanG) in April 2024, which partially decriminalized cannabis for adult non-medical use and allowed for Cannabis Social Clubs from July 2024. These reforms have prompted considerable public discussion and information-seeking. This study aimed to analyze Google search trends for medical cannabis in Germany to understand public interest nationally and regionally in response to these policy changes. METHODS: Google Trends data for “medizinisches cannabis” (Germany, 2015–2025) were analyzed nationally using descriptive statistics and ITS regression for 2017/2024 policy impacts. Regional variations (16 states, 2015–2025) were assessed. RESULTS: National search interest for “medical cannabis” markedly increased with legislative changes. Mean weekly search indices rose from 7.85 (pre-2017) to 23.79 (post-2017 Act; +203%), and further to 75.29 (post-2024 CanG; +216%). Interrupted Time Series analysis confirmed significant immediate relative increases post-2017 (135%) and post-2024 (216%), with a subsequent slight negative trend indicating attenuation after the initial peak. Significant regional disparities revealed four distinct clusters, notably Bavaria with sustained maximal interest and Bremen/Saarland showing unique temporal patterns. CONCLUSIONS: German public interest in “medical cannabis” is strongly influenced by policy, surging with the 2017 medical reform and 2024 Cannabis Act, indicating its mainstream emergence. Significant regional variations (e.g., Bavaria’s high query rates despite restrictive policies) reflect differing local contexts and implementation. Infodemiological monitoring is valuable for assessing policy response and identifying knowledge gaps.