Modernized Cannabis Policies In France Could Benefit Millions Of Patients
France is currently home to a very limited medical cannabis program that only serves a small fraction of the nation’s suffering patients, according to a report that was released today by Augur Associates and leading French cannabis media outlet Newsweed.
The report, titled “State of the Medical Cannabis Industry in France – 2025“, determined that France’s permitted medical use of certain pharmaceutical cannabis products, combined with the nation’s medical cannabis pilot program, has resulted in safe access for only a microfraction of what a modernized medical cannabis program would provide.
“In France, and if allowed to be prescribed in first indication, the introduction of a legal framework for therapeutic cannabis could potentially ultimately benefit an estimated 2,311,626 patients with the conditions and symptoms currently included in the trial (refractory epilepsy, refractory neuropathic pain, MS, oncology and palliative care).” the report stated.
“If other conditions listed by the International Association for Medical Cannabis are included, the estimate could rise to 21,157,547 people likely to be affected by an illness or symptom that can be treated with therapeutic cannabis, i.e. ten times the number currently considered.” the report also stated.
France’s current medical policies and regulations got their start in 2013, when French legislation first authorized the use of cannabinoids in medicine. Another milestone occurred in January 2014 when Sativex received its French marketing authorization as a ‘last resort’ treatment for spasticity arising from multiple sclerosis. Although, as noted in the recent report by Augur Associates and Newsweed, “due to a pricing dispute between Almirall and the French Economic Committee for Health Products, the product has never been prescribed in France.”
Epidiolex has been available in France since 2018 after receiving temporary authorizations for use. Epidiolex also obtained a European marketing authorization in September 2019.
In addition to limited cannabis pharmaceutical access, France is also home to the previously mentioned medical cannabis pilot project. The French medical cannabis experiment received initial approval from the federal Senate back in 2019. However, the launch of the trial was delayed until the spring of 2021 due to various reasons.
Initially slated for two years, France’s medical cannabis experiment was eventually granted a one-year extension and was set to end in 2024 before receiving yet another extension, pushing the estimated end of the trial to July 31st, 2025.
According to the Augur Associates and Newsweed report, a total of 3,209 total patients have participated in the trial, although only 1,849 patients are currently active, with the report noting that “1,297 patients have left: 379 for lack of efficacy, 298 for adverse side effects.” Additionally, 2,291 healthcare professionals were trained as part of the pilot program.
As of 2022, the European Union Drugs Agency estimated that France had the greatest cannabis consumption rate of any of its member nations, with a reported 10.6% of France’s population having consumed cannabis at least once within the last year.
According to a recent newsletter sent out by leading international cannabis economist Beau Whitney of Whitney Economics, France is home to the largest total addressable cannabis market in the European Union, with a value of $11.3 billion (midpoint).
A previous 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 taxes annually.
