Cannabis and cannabinoids in France

Global business and regulatory news covering the cannabis industry

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22nd October 2024: France: A group of deputies from the far-right party Rassemblement National (National Front) has proposed an amendment to the Finance Bill 2025 to introduce an excise duty on CBD-containing products. The proposed rate of this tax is 5.5% of the retail sale price excluding tax, and it would target all forms of CBD-containing products for recreational or medical use. The amendment is likely to find support from other political groups, especially the moderate-right party Les Républicains and the centrist Ensemble pour la République.
14th October 2024: France: The government has presented the Social Security Financing Bill for 2025, and there are currently no amendments proposed to extend the medical cannabis experiment for another year. However, such amendments are likely to be introduced, considering that the implementation of the new framework for cannabis-based medicines, originally planned for 2025, has been delayed until 2026 due to political and administrative setbacks.
23rd September 2024: France: The new prime minister, Michel Barnier, has released the composition of his government, mostly from Les Républicains (the conservative-leaning party of the prime minister) and the coalition Ensemble pour la République, led by president Macron. The new government's stance on tobacco products and cannabis is expected to remain consistent with the previous administration, emphasising a harm-reduction approach. The new health minister is Geneviève Darrieussecq, a physician and deputy of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) who served as minister for people with disabilities in the government of prime minister Élisabeth Borne from 2022 to 2023.
18th September 2024: France: The rollout of medical cannabis in France, initially expected for 2025, has been delayed until 2026 due to political and administrative setbacks. Although the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) completed its preparations, the necessary notification to the European Commission has not been submitted, stalling progress. Patients and manufacturers face uncertainty, with the risk that patients will turn to illegal sources. The new timeline depends on the priority the future government will give to this matter.
5th September 2024: France: President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier as prime minister. Barnier, 73, is a former European Commissioner and was the chief negotiator on Brexit. He is a member of the Republicans, France’s main conservative party. He is expected to have conservative positions on cannabis and to promote a harm-reduction approach to tobacco and e-cigarettes.
10th June 2024: France: President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the National Assembly and called for snap parliamentary elections on 30th June and 7th July after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally achieved a significant victory in the European Parliament vote. Macron, who currently lacks a majority in the parliament, aims to achieve a clear legislative mandate but risks another victory for the far-right party, potentially leading to Marie Le Pen or Jordan Bardella (the party’s leader) as prime minister. It’s too soon to tell how this will affect the sectors because the EU election results do not precisely represent the population’s preferences, given that the French voter turnout was only 51%.
5th June 2024: France: The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) published a decision to classify new cannabinoids on the list of narcotics. As of 3rd June, the following cannabinoids are listed as narcotics: H2-CBD, H4-CBD, any cannabinoids derived from benzo[c]chromene (excluding cannabinol (CBN) and CBD), and eight other synthetic cannabinoids.
8th May 2024: France: The government has notified the EU Commission's TRIS database of a decision by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) to classify several cannabinoids as narcotics, including H2-CBD and H4-CBD.
18th April 2024: France: Senator Thomas Dossus from the Ecologist group introduced a bill that aims to allow two-year territorial experiments to legalise the recreational use of cannabis based on the German model. The proposal would permit adults to possess up to 25 g of cannabis in public spaces and 50 g in private spaces. Additionally, the bill would allow for home cultivation of up to three plants per person and establish cannabis cultivation associations.
28th March 2024: France: The Ministry of Health has published a decree establishing the specifications for cannabis-based medicines used during the experiment until the first batches of medical cannabis authorised by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) arrive on the market.
22nd February 2024: France: The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) has issued a press release concerning updates on the medical cannabis experiment and the establishment of a new framework for cannabis-based medicines. The agency reports that data collected during the initial two years of the experiment demonstrates the effectiveness of medical cannabis across all study indications, with sustained efficacy observed in certain patients over several months. Additionally, the ANSM highlights the establishment of a secure and operational prescription and delivery system. The agency confirms that patients enrolled in the experiment before 26th March 2024 will be able to continue their medical cannabis treatment.
However, the ANSM also announces the forthcoming cessation of cannabis flowers for inhalation. Therefore, prescribing doctors are advised to gradually discontinue flower-based treatments for their patients and refrain from initiating new treatments in this form. This may indicate that flowers will not be included in the framework of cannabis-based medicines. Furthermore, the ANSM stipulates that cannabis-based medicines must be accessible to patients in 2025 via medical prescription, provided the patients meet the qualifying medical conditions outlined within the experiment’s framework.
7th December 2023: France: The National Assembly has definitively approved the 2024 Social Security Financing Bill, which establishes a temporary ad hoc status for cannabis-based medicines. These medicines are defined as any medication containing an active substance derived from Cannabis sativa L., including its extracts. They will be subject to temporary authorisation from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), initially limited to a five-year period, which can then be renewed for additional five-year periods. The bill also extends the medical cannabis experiment for current participants until December 2024. Access to cannabis for medical use will continue to be limited to a last-resort treatment and can only be prescribed in hospitals. Although prices for each product are yet to be determined, authorities will consider prices across European countries with comparable market sizes. The criteria for the prescription of medical cannabis will subsequently be established by ministerial decree following an upcoming proposal from the ANSM. However, flowers and other inhaled forms of cannabis products will be excluded from these provisions.

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