Decree on therapeutic cannabis published: experimentation allowed

On Friday, the Ministry of Health published the decree on the experimentation of therapeutic cannabis in France.

The text provides a minimum application framework for future experimentation with therapeutic cannabis which has already been delayed by 2 months compared to the previous communication, with a maximum deadline for the start of the experiment now set at March 31, 2021.

If nothing changes in the conditions for taking part in the experiment, the decree reminds us that :

• 3,000 patients suffering from one of the diseases concerned who have failed to respond to treatment will be able to take part in the trial and benefit from cannabis treatment.
• the doctors and pharmacists who will prescribe and dispense therapeutic cannabis will be mobilized on a voluntary basis, with compulsory training
• products for the 3,000 patients are to be supplied free of charge by the companies taking part in the trial

He also tells us that the Direction Générale de la Santé (DGS), which for a long time blocked publication of the decree, will supervise the experiment and the potential future decrees that will provide a stricter framework.

For Fiona Colomb-Barets, spokesperson for Espoir (Im)patient, «the publication of the decree was particularly eagerly awaited by patients. Let's not forget that, although the experiment will only concern a small number of patients, it is the first step towards generalizing the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, bringing France up to the level of its European neighbors. We will nevertheless remain vigilant to ensure that the process runs smoothly.»

«While the situation continues to be unacceptable for patients, this act is a breath of fresh air in the face of general anxiety,» comments Béchir Saket, ACT spokesman and vice-president of the L630 organization.

«We now have to wait for the decrees to be published. But we already know that the issues of the budget and the status of cannabis as a medicine have not been resolved,» adds Bertrand Rambaud, President of ACT and UFCM-I Care.

What difficulties will the experiment now face?

While the publication of the decree is an important step forward for the experiment, there are still a number of potential pitfalls.

This leaves :

• to mobilize the 3,000 patients
• publish the call for tenders for the free supply of medical cannabis, and thus find a producer or enough producers to supply 3,000 patients for 1 year free of charge
• identify and train volunteer professionals
• square the prescribing and dispensing path
• mobilize a budget to cover the logistical costs of the experiment
• plan for a French production chain to take over at the end of the experiment

In conclusion, France is still a long way from legalizing medical cannabis. If the March 31, 2021 deadline is met, we'll need another year of experimentation, followed by 6 months of feedback, before medical cannabis can become widespread. It should be noted that a presidential election will be held in the meantime, with no guarantee as yet of the future of the subject.