Possible rollout of medical cannabis in FranceInternational

After countless and incomprehensible delays, French health authorities have announced a new timetable for the pre-deployment of medical cannabis.

At the heart of this relaunch is the imminent presentation of a draft decree allowing the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) to evaluate the reimbursement of cannabis-based medicines, as well as the publication of texts authorizing accredited companies to fully enter the commercialization phase.

During discussions held on the sidelines of Cannabis Europa Paris 2026, we received confirmation that the teams of the previous Minister of Health, Yannick Neuder, had “forgotten” to sign the expected decree, a delay that could have been avoided and which has delayed patient access to a sustainable framework.

This announcement follows the consultation meeting on February 18, 2026, organized by the Directorate General for Health (DGS) and the Directorate for Social Security (DSS). The authorities have indicated that they intend to finalize, with the stakeholders, the draft decree governing the HAS assessment within a month, with publication planned for the end of June.

Two other decrees, already prepared, are expected to be published simultaneously. They will allow authorized companies to move beyond the strict framework of research and development and begin the process of bringing their products to market. If the schedule is followed, the HAS's final opinion is expected in October or November 2026. In the event of a favorable assessment, the first prescriptions under the common law regime could come into effect in 2027, a presidential election year and therefore an easy excuse for inaction.

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