Planned for September, the trial of therapeutic cannabis has run into a problem with the supply of Ganja made in France. Having fallen too far behind in this area, the public authorities will have no choice but to “turn to foreign producers”.
It’s not because the grass is greener in neighboring countries that future French patients will consume cannabis produced abroad, but because the public authorities have been caught short when it comes to producing weed for medical purposes.
The reason for this is a policy of burying one’s head in the sand, which not only failed to bear fruit in social terms, but also failed to produce the flowers needed for this experimental phase.
Failing to pull the right levers in time to authorize the production of high-quality medical cannabis made in France, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) will have no other option than to go to the next-door neighbor, in this case Portugal. (see our article) and Italy
This information was confirmed to AFP on Wednesday January 22 by ANSM Deputy Director General Christelle Ratignier-Carbonneil during the first hearings of the parliamentary information mission on cannabis launched at the French National Assembly.
“September is tomorrow, it’s very close,” added Ms. Ratignier-Carbonneil. Given this timeframe, the ANSM is considering “using foreign producers” to supply cannabis, as French legislation currently prohibits the cultivation of plants containing THC levels in excess of 0.2%.
However, “if a national producer is able to meet the criteria (…) , it may be selected”, said Ms. Ratignier-Carbonneil, adding that discussions are currently underway between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture to enable French production. “Our sole objective remains the quality of the products that must be made available to patients.
As for the few growers who miraculously obtain a license to grow weed in France, we happily refer them to our “Homegrowing for beginners” dossier.
Alexis
