Sale of medical cannabis in France: the legal framework

No, not in the sense of an over-the-counter purchase. Unlike wellbeing CBD, medical cannabis is accessible only within a national trial launched by the ANSM in March 2021 and extended several times since. Only patients enrolled in that scheme, followed by trained hospital teams, can be given a prescription. To date there is no dispensing channel open to the general public for this type of product in France.

The scheme targets specific clinical situations where the available treatments have not been enough: treatment-resistant neuropathic pain, certain forms of severe epilepsy, supportive care in oncology, palliative situations and spasticity linked to multiple sclerosis. Patients are followed in a hospital setting, under a strict protocol for prescribing, dispensing and pharmacovigilance. This experimental framework is intended to assess the feasibility of a future permanent channel, without prejudging whether it will be adopted for good.

The wellbeing CBD sold in France — oils, flowers, cosmetics — has a distinct commercial status: food supplement or cosmetic, never medicine. Since the Conseil d'État ruling of 29 December 2022, its sale has been authorised provided the finished product contains no more than 0.30 % THC. That sale involves no prescription and no compulsory medical follow-up and, above all, it permits no therapeutic claim. To understand what French law actually allows anyone to say about high-street CBD, see our overview of the legal framework.

Some European countries have a more developed pharmaceutical channel. Sativex, an oromucosal spray combining THC and CBD, is authorised in several EU countries for spasticity linked to multiple sclerosis. Epidyolex, based on purified cannabidiol, has obtained a European authorisation for certain severe childhood epilepsies. These medicines follow the classic medicine pathway: clinical trials, marketing authorisation, and prescribing and reimbursement governed country by country.

Turning the French trial into a permanent framework depends on political and public health decisions still under discussion. Several scenarios coexist: a gradual widening of the number of indications, the creation of a specific status for cannabis-based medicines, or the continuation of an extended experimental framework. No official deadline has been set to date.

Can a GP prescribe medical cannabis?

No. Only professionals trained within hospital centres taking part in the ANSM trial can do so, and only for specific indications.

Can CBD bought in a shop replace medical cannabis?

No. Wellbeing CBD has no approved therapeutic indication and does not follow the medicine pathway. It must never be substituted for a prescribed treatment.

Which countries allow cannabis-based medicines to be sold in pharmacies?

Several European countries allow Sativex or Epidyolex to be dispensed on prescription, for specific indications approved by their respective health authorities.

Will the French trial one day be opened to all patients?

That is not guaranteed. Any extension will depend on the results of the current trial and on regulatory decisions that have not yet been taken.