Is CBD cannabis therapeutic cannabis?

The last time a legal cannabis entrepreneur spoke about the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, Marisol Touraine blocked the sale of his cannabidiol e-cigarette, the French Order of Pharmacists filed a complaint, and the two partners have received a total of more than 30 months of suspended sentences. The lawsuit slowed down the arrival of CBD on the French market, which finally became available to the general public late last year thanks to a front-page story in *Le Parisien*.

Similarly, we announced the arrival of the "light" cannabis, which is legal in France as early as last September. Swiss hemp growers were starting to take an interest in France, and Sweetweed and CBD420 stepped up their efforts. A few shipments were blocked, and some were seized by customs… but the vast majority of packages get through, and today we’re seeing a proliferation of CBD weed shops in France that don’t hesitate to openly advertise their business.

Most of these stores sell CBD flower produced in Switzerland. These flowers come from plants that produce very low levels of THC—below the French legal limit of 0.21%—and resemble their THC-containing counterparts in both appearance and smell. But how did we come to use the term “medical cannabis” to refer to this “light cannabis”?

What is medical cannabis?

Like We explain it here, Medical cannabis refers to the use of cannabis by an individual, in this case to treat specific symptoms or a particular medical condition. The focus is not solely on the psychoactive effects of cannabis, but also on its therapeutic benefits.

The CBD has many therapeutic benefits. But does that make CBD cannabis a medical cannabis? The real answer is: it’s complicated.

Is CBD cannabis therapeutic?

In addition to being subject to legal action for making therapeutic claims if marketed as such, the CBD cannabis sold today does not meet any therapeutic standards, as no regulatory framework exists.

Ideally, medical cannabis would be legally dispensed through public or private pharmacies that guarantee the origin, composition, and quality of the cannabis—conditions that are currently far from being met. Furthermore, sellers of CBD cannabis have no legal basis for claiming therapeutic benefits, which would in any case require them to actually know their products.

From the consumer’s perspective, the risk is confusing the use of the product with the product itself. Can you feel more relaxed after drinking a CBD cannabis «tea»? Yes. Does that make it THE therapeutic cannabis? No.

The fight for patients« access to medical cannabis cannot be limited to the sale of »light” cannabis. CBD is not the only active ingredient responsible for cannabis’s therapeutic benefits, and the whole plant remains more effective than “air-dried” cannabis. Some conditions are treated with THC, others with CBD, and often a combination of both—which is even more effective when terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids are preserved, an effect known as entourage effect.

Medical cannabis cannot, therefore, be reduced to CBD cannabis alone.

In practical terms, as long as medical cannabis is not legally available in France, no one is selling «therapeutic cannabis» or promoting the therapeutic benefits of their product.