The German government has announced that cannabis will be legalised for medicinal purposes some time in early 2017.
"Our goal is that seriously ill patients are treated in the best possible way," said health minister Hermann Groehe.
Draft legislation will be presented to the German cabinet on Wednesday.
Some countries are beginning to drop prohibitions on the use of cannabis for those suffering painful ailments, but the number of countries remains a minority and the move is still contentious
Groehe recognised that cannabis was "not an inoffensive substance" and stressed that it would be available only from pharmacies and with a doctor’s prescription.
Germany plans initially to import marijuana but eventually to create government supervised marijuana plantations.
The minister expressed the view that the law could come into effect in the spring of 2017.
