Experimentation With Therapeutic Cannabis In France In September

Christelle Ratignier-Carbonneil, Deputy Director General of the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), announced yesterday that experimentation with therapeutic cannabis will begin in September. In view of this delay, the Agency plans to resort to foreign manufacturers in order to obtain the product. The participation of 3000 patients with serious illnesses has been confirmed.

What exactly is cannabis for medical use?

But what exactly does medical cannabis represent? So, also known as medical cannabis, it meets pharmaceutical standards, it is prescribed by doctors and it is sold to pharmacies. Its two main components that were studied are CBD (cannabidol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Professor Nicolas Authier explains that medical cannabis represents a combination of molecules in a specific indication. He further adds that the term officially used has also evolved. Before adopting the current name, specialists initially used “cannabis for therapeutic purposes”.

What diseases is it intended for?

According to ANSM experts, medical cannabis has many therapeutic interests. It is extremely beneficial for chronic pain, neurological diseases as well as some forms of drug resistant epilepsy. What's more, many cancer patients testify to the calming effect of medical cannabis on ailments caused by anti-cancer treatment such as nausea and weight loss.

But are there any side effects of using medical cannabis? Yes, there are and they are well known. We mainly talk about neuropsychiatric consequences such as drowsiness, anxiety, paranoia, risk of dependence in the event of prolonged use and even cardiovascular problems.

Experiments with medical cannabis to begin in September

As announced yesterday, experiments with cannabis for medical use will begin in September. Considering the fact that French law prohibits the manufacture of cultures with a THC exceeding 0.2%, the ANSM is considering using foreign manufacturers in order to provide the necessary article. The tests will be carried out in many hospitals in France. Cannabis will be available either as an oil or as a dried flower.

For your information, cannabis for medical purposes is already authorized in the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Norway.