Now that the French drug agency has given the go-ahead for experimentation with therapeutic cannabis in France from January 2020, what will be the conditions for benefiting from it?
Cannabis for medical purposes will be tested on patients in “therapeutic impasse” suffering from certain forms of treatment-resistant epilepsy, neuropathic pain not relieved by other therapies, side effects of chemotherapy, uncontrolled muscle contractions in multiple sclerosis, painful contractions linked to other central nervous system pathologies, or for palliative care. Prescription may be possible at any age, including for minors, but pregnant women are excluded.
Some thousands of patients are expected to take part, among the 276,000 people concerned in France, according to the Alternative pour le Cannabis à visée Thérapeutique (ACT) collective. All participating patients will have to be listed in a “national electronic monitoring register”.
For this test, the initial prescription of cannabis-based products will be reserved for doctors specializing in the diseases concerned, and practicing in reference centers (pain relief centers, multiple sclerosis expert centers, etc.). Once the patient’s treatment has been stabilized, in particular to obtain the minimum effective dose, the patient’s GP will be able to take over. Physicians will be invited to take part in the trial on a voluntary basis, following compulsory online training.
These products will contain different dosages of the two active ingredients in cannabis, THC and CBD, which do not have the same effects. And they will be offered in different forms, some with an “immediate effect” (oil and dried flowers for inhalation) and others with a “prolonged effect” (drinkable solutions and oil capsules), depending on the patient’s needs. In short, no joints because of the harmful effects of combustion on health.
Jacob
