The «CannabiSanté» coalition campaigns for access to medical cannabis in France

In a manifesto carried by lobbying agency Nile, the «CannabiSanté» coalition is mobilizing and calling for structured, secure, long-term access to medical cannabis for patients.

CannabiSanté brings together patient-experts, representatives of patient and drug-user associations, healthcare professionals and the Boiron and Nile pharmaceutical laboratories.

When contacted, the latter has not yet replied.

With the end of the experiment scheduled for January 1, 2025, and for the time being without extension, The future of nearly 2,000 patients who depend on cannabis-based treatments is uncertain. This situation has prompted CannabiSanté to propose a series of measures to maintain access to medical cannabis and prepare for its widespread use.

The experience of medical cannabis in France

Since its launch over three years ago, the’experimentation with medical cannabis in France affected some 3,000 patients suffering from serious, chronic illnesses for which conventional treatments had failed. These treatments included improved quality of life for patients, by alleviating symptoms for which there were no effective solutions.

In the absence of parliamentary support, the two amendments proposing to include the extension of the experiment in the PLFSS having been rejected by the Assembly and the Senate, the CannabiSanté coalition is mobilizing to reach out to the government.

CannabiSanté has developed a comprehensive plan that includes 10 key proposals grouped into five strategic challenges. These proposals aim to extend the experimental phase of medical cannabis from experimental status to that of a regulated and sustainable therapeutic option:

• Promoting proper use at Through a guide validated by health authorities and patient associations
• Expanding training opportunities for healthcare professionals, integrate cannabis education into university curricula and offer ongoing professional development
• Organize a multi-professional care medical cannabis patients, supported by inpatient and outpatient resources
• Strengthen collaboration between healthcare providers, including city-hospital partnerships, to streamline patient care
• Establish evaluation frameworks for the’efficiency and safety cannabis-based treatments through patient feedback and clinical studies
• Support data analysis and research initiatives to improve the proper use of medical cannabis and foster public and private collaborations
• Facilitating the development of a supply chain to guarantee continuity of care
• Set up a government-led task force to coordinate efforts to build a French and European industry
• Developing a pricing system that balances patient accessibility and industry viability
• Integrating the cannabis industry into France 2030 Plan, by strengthening its role as a strategic economic asset.

Beyond this pragmatic plan, we note the very shortened definition of medical cannabis, whose major representation in all the countries where it is available, the cannabis flower, is here reduced without being named to a single line («Other galenic forms are possible, such as the form for inhalation by vaporization») in favor of «extract-based» forms.

A call to political action

Through its manifesto, CannabiSanté nonetheless calls on public authorities to adopt a more proactive approach. regulatory framework clear and perennial for medical cannabis.

Such measures would not only guarantee continuity of care within the experimental framework, but also pave the way for the generalization of medical cannabis in France. As the coalition argues, this is a crucial moment to ensure that medical cannabis moves from experimental status to a fully integrated and regulated treatment option.