After a long wait and significant anticipation, an official decree pertaining to how the reimbursement of medical cannabis will be governed in France has been submitted to the French Council of State. The submittal was announced on LinkedIn by the Union of Manufacturers for the Utilization of Hemp Extracts (UIVEC).

“On 30 June, Laurent Panifous, Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament, confirmed that the decree on the rules for the coverage of cannabis-based medicines, finalised in mid-June, had received the Ministry of Economy ‘s approval. This text, which is essential for the transition to a permanent framework, will be sent to the Council of State today for examination after the summer break and publication to be announced at the beginning of the school year.” UIVEC wrote, translated from French to English.

“This confirmation came in response to a question from Senator Marion CANALES, who reminded the Sénat of the deadlock in which patients have been since 2024: those already followed as part of the experiment conducted since 2021 continue to be taken care of, but in the absence of a regulatory text, no new patients can enter them. Patients in therapeutic impasse are therefore stuck waiting for access to these drugs.” the organization continued.

“The UIVEC thanks the parliamentarians, patient associations and health professionals who are mobilizing on a daily basis to make access to these treatments possible in France. Our teams and members remain mobilized with the authorities until the regulatory framework applicable to cannabis-based medicines is fully in place.” the organization concluded.

The official submittal of the decree was expected this month, with signs emerging in recent weeks strongly suggesting that it would happen. However, it is still encouraging to see it actually become a reality. With that being said, there are still more steps in the process before the decree becomes the law of the land. France’s medical cannabis reimbursement plan is expected to cover medical cannabis therapies that treat neuropathic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, oncology-related refractory symptoms, and advanced palliative care.

“Even after the decree is published, several regulatory steps must still be completed before patients can finally access medical cannabis outside of the experimental framework. The HAS must issue its coverage recommendation, manufacturers must complete the registration process with the ANSM, and the products must then undergo pricing negotiations before prescriptions can begin.” reports Newsweed.

“If the current schedule is followed, France could finally see the first prescriptions reimbursed under its permanent system of medical marijuana in 2027, nearly six years after the launch of what was originally intended to be a two-year pilot program.” the outlet also reported.

According to a recent survey conducted by Norstat Institute on behalf of the patient association APAISER S&C and newspaper L’Hemicycle, 92% of survey respondents expressed support for the legalization of medical cannabis in France.

• 92% of respondents support the authorization of medical cannabis
• 72% want medical cannabis access for all conditions for which cannabis is scientifically proven to be effective at treating
• 82% consider it to be ‘problematic’ that medical cannabis access remains limited in France
• 79% consider that the ongoing public debate remains hampered by misconceptions
• 73% believe French authorities are not sufficiently taking patients’ suffering into account
• Only 11% believe medical cannabis’ effectiveness ‘remains too uncertain to justify its medical use’

“These results confirm what we have observed for several years: the general public has moved beyond taboos to focus on the well-being of patients. They now expect decision-makers to take responsibility and allow patients access to treatments that exist, that work, and that are currently denied to them.” said Mado Gilanton, President of APAISER S&C.

France is one of the largest cannabis markets in Europe, albeit almost entirely unregulated. An estimated 99.7% of France’s cannabis industry remains unregulated, resulting in a lot of profit potential going untapped by entrepreneurs and investors. With a national population of over 68 million people, a legalized cannabis industry in France has the potential to become one of the largest on the planet.

A previous market analysis conducted by Beau Whitney of Whitney Economics found that France ranks among the top three European markets for cannabis, with an overall potential market value of $8.3 billion, and that expanding medical cannabis access in France could reduce health care system expenditures by nearly $1 billion.

A separate study by an economic advisory board within the nation’s prime minister’s office determined that the French government spends roughly €570m annually on cannabis prohibition enforcement. The study recommended that France adopt adult-use cannabis legalization and launch a regulated recreational industry. Emmanuelle Auriol, a professor at the Toulouse School of Economics who authored the study’s report and findings, estimated that such a policy change could create as many as 80,000 new jobs and generate €2.8bn in annual tax revenue.