Therapeutic cannabis: what was said at the French National Assembly on December 5?

On Wednesday, December 5, the Colbert Room at the National Assembly hosted a morning session on the issues surrounding the legalization of medical cannabis. The program featured two discussions on the therapeutic uses of cannabis and the economic prospects for France, particularly for the agricultural sector.

The event was organized at the initiative of LREM Representative Jean-Baptiste Moreau, who works primarily on The Creuse Medical Cannabis Project with Eric Correia, and by Gplus, a public affairs and strategic communications consulting firm.

Panel Discussion 1: Therapeutic Aspects of Cannabis

Mr. Moreau opened this morning’s discussion by summarizing his op-ed published in the JDD the day before the meeting. In it, he rightly called for the swift legalization of medical cannabis in France. He then gave the floor to Yann Bisiou, a specialist in drug law, who argued, among other things, for the possibility of classifying medical cannabis in the category «products regulated in the interest of public health,» but also to adapt legal frameworks to specific products and issues, while allowing for the use of wellness cannabis (products containing 0.21% THC, with or without CBD).

Next, Olivier Véran, a neurologist and LREM lawmaker, declared himself «fully in favor» of medical cannabis. Mr. Véran shared some of the experiences of his patients who have found relief through cannabis, though he was unable to fully explain the precise mechanism of the treatment; however, this does not deter him from prescribing it, provided the patient is monitored.

Nicolas Authier, president of the current ANSM Medical Cannabis Evaluation Committee, did not comment on the CSST’s recommendations. The decision on whether or not to proceed with the actual legalization of medical cannabis will be made on December 12 and announced on December 13 or 14 by the ANSM. If the decision is positive—and in all likelihood it will be—the ANSM would then take 3 to 6 months to consider the methods of administration and the production, import, and distribution channels for medical cannabis.

Dr. Lowenstein finally pointed out that the most important questions in the short term are: what type of cannabis, for whom, and by what method of administration or distribution.

Guillaume Balas, a Member of the European Parliament, has finally spoken out to explain his European initiative (which, we’re quite proud to say, we’re the only ones following so far).

Panel Discussion 2: Economic Outlook for France

The second roundtable featured representatives from the agricultural sector. Ms. Fichaux of Interchanvre, the hemp industry association, expressed her willingness to focus on flower production and will lead efforts in that direction. On the part of the Ministry of Agriculture, represented by Ms. Valérie Métrich-Hecquet, the status quo prevails and will only change if the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Health specifically authorizes the processing of the flower and the presence of 0.21% THC in the finished product (which should already be the case in accordance with the law).

In other countries where cannabis has been legalized, farmers have generally been excluded from the production of medical cannabis—a point of concern that Thierry Pouch, chief economist at the Academy of Agriculture, believes should be taken into account.

Eric Correia, President of the Greater Guéret Urban Community and Regional Councilor for Nouvelle-Aquitaine, concluded the morning with a moving speech, excerpts from which can be found here and which can be summed up in one final question: who could possibly object to caring for a sick person? If we had to answer that, we have a list of a few names 😉

Of note was the presence in the audience of representatives from Aurora Cannabis, very active in Europe right now, of Bedrocan and’Arcview, the largest incubator and investor in cannabis startups in the United States (and with some investments in Europe). The starting gun hasn't gone off yet, but the starting blocks are starting to fill up!