During a progress report organized last Friday by the General Directorate of Health (DGS) for interested stakeholders, the health authorities embarked on the path of generalization of medical cannabis in France.
Resuming the course of the experiment and its extension, the DGS presented several exit scenarios from the “experiment” as well as the various work topics that will have to be addressed and finalized to achieve this.
The DGS thus hopes to initiate, as of June, the integration of the exit from experimentation into the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) 2024.
At the same time, the various decrees related to the cultivation of medical cannabis will have to be finalized and then notified at European level. They will supplement the already existing decree.
Finally, the status of cannabis-based medical products will have to be decided with different possible options (with or without MA, creation of an intermediate status, etc.), but a desire not to strictly restrict access to this type of product.
Other meetings are planned in particular to address the specific points of the creation of a medical cannabis production sector in France.
No questioning of failures
The DGS quickly evacuated the subject of stock shortages of the majority of products currently delivered within the framework of the experimentation of medical cannabis, putting this on the account of unsuccessful calls for tenders.
It should be remembered, however, that the DGS has not started the work necessary for the non-prolongation of the experiment during the 2 years that the first phase lasted. Faced with a forced extension of the device, the generalization having not been anticipated, a first call for tenders was launched to continue to supply drugs to patients.
While numerous alerts had been sent to the DGS, the main laboratory which supplied 60% of the products did not respond to this call for tenders, considering the financial effort too great after 2 years of supplying their products free of charge. A second call for tenders is currently underway to supply the first missing product and potentially the second.
Caution but kindness
Several people present at this meeting told us of their astonishment about the commitment to an exit from the experiment. This point had never really been recorded and is now present in the minds of health authorities.
And even if many details are still missing to imagine a future French sector of cannabis production for therapeutic purposes, the communication put in place by the DGS is “engaging for the actors of the sector” we are told. .
