The French parliament gathered in official session this morning, has approved a bill introducing the experimentation of medical Cannabis along 2020’s program with the French NHS, the Assurance Santé.

This bill comes as historical change of paradigm for the French authorities, the latter always denied officially the very existence of such a thing as ‘Medical Cannabis’.

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#Cannabis for Who?

Therapeutic cannabis may be prescribed in patients suffering from certain forms of treatment-resistant epilepsy, neuropathic pain (resulting from nerve damage) not relieved by other therapies.

It may also be prescribed against the side effects of chemotherapy or again for palliative care and uncontrolled muscle contractions of multiple sclerosis or other diseases of the central nervous system.

3000 participants will be allowed to join this experimentation, France has near 70 million inhabitants. If you put on parallel the number of medical patients today in Israel/population for exemple, then France should at least begin with 300 000 patients instead.

So most of the patients, but also the associations and specialized Cannabis press in France are considering this a very shy move.

#What type of Cannabis is allowed for medical purposes

The French ‘ANSM’ for National Medicine’s and Health Agency, has gathered specialists and patients representatives to build a project that has been eventually approved by the Ministry of health.

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But from the beginning it’s been said and repeated that no ‘joint-on-prescription’ would come along with this program.

In the end the French Cannabis pharmacy will feature :

• Herbal shaped products (Cannabis flowers)
• Oils and infused solutions
• Capsules but also sprays and gels

#Is medical cannabis legal in France now?

Yes… and no, as usual the Frenches have their own plan. Actually, it will be legal between 2020 and 2022 and then they’ll talk again and decide if they want to continue this way.

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Now let’s go along a few Q’s and A’s about this historical news.

• Can you fly medical Cannabis in France?

No absolutely not for now

• Is France about to legalize recreational Cannabis ?

It’s very unlikely to happen before the next presidential election, for the earliest. So the answer is : not for now

• Can you drive a car in France if you have a prescription for medical Cannabis?

For now the answer is a big NO of course, nothing by the way is planned in regards to existing patients who may drive and possess Cannabis with them

• Can you get a follow up on your prescription in France or supply with medical Cannabis ?

Absolutely not, most probably no also during the next 2 years.

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#So what’s the point?

Now that would be the real question towards a French minister. What would be the point of welcoming a few 3000 people as there should 300 000 for started in the need of the very same experimentation?

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The answer is most likely to hold in one word and that would : “fear”.

France has lived in 49 years of prohibition without managing to slow down the traffic of hashish. The traffic is estimated to hire 200 000 illegal workers on French soil. The situation with the black market has been out of control over decades. It’s even alleged that French top cops were involved with pharaonic quantities of hash imported for years, under the radar from Morocco to France.

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At the silly pace of 1 new anti-drug law every 9 month for 49 years France has not only lost the war on drug, but also lost a bit of it self confidence too.

About the same topic – On The Blinc Group Blog

Now the matter has become very sensitive, go figure : 45% of all French country’s teenager are using Cannabis on a weekly basis. It’s close to a world record.

The French black market is estimated between 3 and 5 billion € each year for a whopping 5 millions users, it’s almost 10% of the whole country population using black market’s weed at some point.

So the point would be : a symbolic change for a country who didn’t manage to hide behind his little finger with Cannabis for half a century. It was about time !

– Jean-pierre Ceccaldi pour The Blinc Group – Copyright 2018 All Rights reserved –