France Legalizes Medical Cannabis Cultivation

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5/6 June 2024

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France is moving forward regarding medical cannabis cultivation and production. As of March 1, it is legal to cultivate cannabis for medical purposes in France. The change in the law was published in the official government register, the "Journal officiel de la République française", on February 18 and came into force on March 1.

The following applies:

• The (final) medicinal product meets the specifications set by the French Ministry of Health, issued on the basis of a proposal from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (L’Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM)), relating in particular to its characteristics, composition, pharmaceutical dosage form and indications.
• The (final) medicinal product is manufactured in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), in order to guarantee its quality, safety and intended therapeutic use.

In addition, the ANSM has set up a temporary scientific committee to define technical specifications for national medical cannabis (from the plant to the medicine).

More information is available in Décret no 2022-194 du 17 février 2022 relatif au cannabis à usage médical.