In New Caledonia, no medical cannabis, recreational cannabis or CBD

If the situation regarding medical cannabis and hemp is available in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, our neighbor, is still struggling. The island has no access to medical cannabis, as it is unable to participate in mainland France’s pilot program for therapeutic cannabis, and CBD is classified as a narcotic there. This is a situation that local stakeholders regret.

Setbacks at every level

Recognizing the need to advance this issue at the political level, the New Caledonia Hemp Union (SCNC) was established in April 2022. The goal is to convey the views of local farmers to the New Caledonian government in order to successfully legalize hemp. However, the government appears reluctant to allow such an industry to emerge.

«When the government met with us, they made it very clear that subsidizing the sector was out of the question. We replied, «Give us the right, and we’ll take the risks,»» explains Frédéric Gérard, president of the SCNC.

«If the country wants to attract capital and balance its external account, it should establish a framework, equip itself with the means to regulate licenses, and perhaps certify products. Under no circumstances should it hinder private initiative and relative genetic freedom, which are essential for the development of economically viable applications that can compete with imports.»

Because for now, even though CBD is already sold in stores in New Caledonia, despite its classification as a controlled substance since 2018, it is imported from mainland France, which makes no ecological sense for a plant with a negative carbon footprint.

When it comes to medical cannabis, the situation is the same. The country cannot participate in the pilot program, since research is not within the Caillou’s jurisdiction.

«There’s a law from 1969 that bans everything related to Indian hemp, but allows me to apply for a license to grow poppies or coca,» Frédéric Gérard remarks ironically. «So it’s time, given that the’The UN reclassified the plant in December 2020, »to classify hemp as a narcotic with medical uses.".

The only known use of medical cannabis on the island is reportedly for Synthetic CBD dispensed to alcoholics at the Nouméa Hospital, under the supervision of the INCB.

As for the legalization of cannabis, it would also require the approval of the French National Assembly, since New Caledonia’s criminal law is tied to that of metropolitan France.

Or how, even while being on the other side of the world from the mainland, one can be bound by a 1969 law banning medical cannabis, a 2018 law classifying CBD as a narcotic, and a mainland that doesn’t exactly view the issue in a favorable light.