Medical Cannabis: a crucial step towards a French ecosystem

Pharmaceutical companies qualified to manufacture either active substances or medicines will now be able to produce cannabis-based medicines in France.

The decree dated February 17, 2022 specifies the conditions and procedures governing the cultivation and production of cannabis for medical use, in order to open the way for the creation of a French ecosystem covering all steps from cultivation to cannabis-based medicines in France.

• • Article 1 of the decree includes cannabis cultivation within the scope of the new authorizations.

• • Article 2 authorizes the cultivation, manufacture, transport, import, export, possession, supply, transfer, acquisition, and use of cannabis for medical use only if produced and characterized according to good manufacturing practices by pharmaceutical manufacturers. This authorization applies to cannabis and products containing or derived from cannabis, including tetrahydrocannabinols and its derivatives.

The provisions of sections 1 and 2 will come into force as of March 1, 2022.