Santé France Cannabis makes 16 proposals for the future French medical cannabis industry

In a few months on its anticipated inclusion in general law Regarding medical cannabis in France, Santé France Cannabis (SFC), which represents companies in the sector, has put forward several proposals for the development of the industry. At the same time, a bill intended to regulate all activities—from the manufacture to the dispensing of cannabis-based medications—is being sponsored by Representative Ludovic Mendès and is set to be introduced in the National Assembly.

«Access to medical cannabis can no longer be considered an option, but rather an urgent necessity,» writes Frantz Deschamps, President of SFC, in the preface. After a drawn-out experiment, the advocacy group points out that two more executive orders are still needed to complete the decree authorizing the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes in France and the production of cannabis-based medicines:

• An order issued by the Minister of Health, which will specify the requirements for cannabis-based medications for medical use
• An interministerial decree issued by the ministers of agriculture, customs, the interior, and health, which will set forth the technical procedures for the keeping, cultivation, importation, exportation, and transport and the storage of cannabis plants for medical purposes within the country

On April 21, the General Directorate of Health (DGS) presented the guidelines it had adopted regarding the status of cannabis-based medications. The decision is moving toward a status ad hoc for these medications, enabling personalized care and ensuring an appropriate level of traceability and quality.

It is against this backdrop that SFC presented 16 recommendations for a French medical cannabis industry.

Among these is, of course, the need to move quickly on defining the status ad hoc, which has been expected for 3 years, while being careful to «calibrate it for cannabis-based medications ».

Regarding therapeutic indications, the union would like to start with the five already included in the trial (epilepsy, cancer, neuropathic pain, palliative care, and spasticity), and then expand them based on the evidence provided and drawing on the work of a scientific committee (ANSM) and the French National Authority for Health (HAS) to meet patients» needs.”.

On the subject of prescribing, two proposals have been put forward: to introduce mandatory training for primary-care prescribing healthcare professionals, and to allow any physician—whether a specialist or a general practitioner—to prescribe cannabis-based medications.

With regard to cultivation, the union recommends a dual authorization model, namely preliminary contractual agreements with authorized facilities and an authorization system administered under the supervision of the ANSM. It also requests that the requirement to install a mechanical ventilation and filtration system not be imposed, so as to allow hybrid greenhouses the option of using natural ventilation. To the best of our knowledge, at least one member of SFC has this type of equipment.

Finally, SFC advocates allowing the export of medical cannabis, which would enable French companies to secure markets abroad while they wait for the French medical cannabis program to be fully implemented.

You can find the SFC's overall score here.