France Delays Medical Cannabis Trials Due to CoronaVirus

Last Wednesday French deputies presented a report to President Emmauel Macron’s government urging the work on medical cannabis legalisation to speed up. Last year parliament gave the green light to medical cannabis trials involving 3,000 patients with a range of conditions such as epilepsy and cancer. These trials should have been taking place this month, but have been delayed to 2021 due to coronavirus. The public and some deputies have widely seen this as an excuse, demonstrating the countries’ longstanding lack of interest in reforming cannabis legislation. 

"It's time that France emerged from the dark ages concerning cannabis, which is a drug but can also be a medicine. For patients today, it is unbearable to have to wait longer." Jean-Baptiste Moreau said, a key author of the recent report. "We must avoid any more delays'' Moreau told parliament - he indicated that he would be willing to submit a draft law to parliament in order to push progress. This sense of urgency was echoed outside parliament - last week over 50 doctors and patients' associations called for the government to act quickly so treatments could start early next year.

The french population is regarded as one of the top consumers of cannabis in Europe according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. There could be at least 700,000 patients in France who would significantly benefit from access to medical cannabis, and there is a willingness from local farmers to grow the crop. The formula for a successful medical legalisation of cannabis is there, however there is a persistent political block on any progress.

Attitudes towards cannabis and drug policy in general have not been progressive in France. This month the government introduced 200 euro fines for drug users, which French Interior minister Gérald Darmanin believes will “kill all drug trafficking and its use”. Darmanin also said "As interior minister and politician I cannot tell parents who are fighting for their children to give up their drug addiction that we are going to legalise this shit" - demonstrating a serious lack of understanding of drug issues. However not all in government hold the same views, and in the last few years these views are being challenged more, slowly opening a path for radical drug reform in France. Slowly but surely France will join the ranks of other European states that have joined the cannabis industry.