Medical cannabis experimentation: France anticipates and plans for the next generation
This approval should make it possible to anticipate the end of the experimentation on medical cannabis treatment, conducted in France since March 2021, which is supposed to last until 2023. As a reminder, the substance is used to alleviate pain and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from neuropathy, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis or to relieve their treatment by chemotherapy or palliative care. However, as the production of therapeutic cannabis is still forbidden in France, the products used on these patients are all imported.
According to Hugues Péribère, an agricultural engineer and president of Overseed, the aim of this operation is to be ready to market pharmaceutical-grade products by 2023 - when the French experiment will end - while also hoping that production and widespread use of treatments will be authorised by then.
Requirements for pharmaceutical use of cannabis
When used for medical purposes, cannabis products must have a very precise composition of certain molecules, such as CBD or THC. In addition, a high degree of plant stability is required to guarantee the homogeneity of the seeds. As such, research will also focus on the processing of cannabis flowers into treatments in the form of oils or dried flowers for inhalation. This is a delicate process as the composition of the product must not be altered in any way during the drying or extraction stage. Overseed plans to outsource the extraction to an unnamed specialist laboratory.
Although Overseed is the very first French company to receive this authorisation, we can guess that it will not be the last. It only remains for France to catch up with other countries that have legalised medical cannabis for some time now.
