Expectations that France could legalise medicinal cannabis once its ongoing medicine trial concludes next year have been dampened following reports that the Macron government will not back such a move.
Newsweed reports the upcoming Social Security Financing Bill will contain no budget allocation for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, which is currently accessible only to participants in a trial run by the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products.
The trial launched on a two-year cycle in 2021 and was subsequently extended by a further 12 months. It allows 2,000 patients to obtain medicinal cannabis through a selection of pharmacies for five approved conditions, with the aim of assessing how such products could be legally prescribed and dispensed across the country.
The trial is now scheduled to wrap up in March 2024.
A government report presented to parliament in September 2022 endorsed broader access to medicinal cannabis, though it identified insufficient involvement from general practitioners in the treatment process. The report recorded no instances of abuse or diversion.
According to Cannabis Health News, 91% of patients enrolled in the trial are in favour of full legalisation, with most reporting improvements in managing their symptoms, especially in the areas of pain relief and palliative care.
France's General Directorate of Health did not respond to questions from Newsweed regarding why medicinal cannabis legalisation was excluded from the budget.
Separate sources have pointed to opposition from The Interministerial Mission for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behaviours as a contributing factor behind the decision.
