French Medical Cannabis Access Could Be Delayed Until 2027
Extracts over flower
Another key part of the pharmaceutical focus is the omission of raw cannabis flower, a controversial choice for many, but one that is becoming increasingly common in emerging markets such as Spain’s incoming framework.
While flower is technically permitted, it is heavily restricted to sealed, single-use vape cartridges for use with CE-approved medical devices.
Given the pharmaceutical framing, requiring controlled, repeatable, measured dosing, this makes sense in a purely medical market.
While this is a clear plus for regulators, effectively futureproofing the market against accusations of a pseudo-recreational market as seen in Germany, Australia and the UK, it once again presents new challenges and opportunities.
When the market is eventually rolled out across France, Péribère believes these inherent barriers to flower will see extracts and oils dominate ‘in the beginning’.
“The future in France is really focused on quick assimilation methods from an extract, full extract, not isolate… They don’t want patients to grind their products, manipulate them. They don’t want that in the chain of distribution.”
He also questions whether CE-marked medical vaporisation devices are readily available to be rolled out across the market in bulk, presenting a major opportunity for any manufacturers able to fulfil this demand.
“When we look at the registration numbers, it seems that they are not there. So are they really CE mark approved?”
Slow, but sustainable
While Péribère concedes France’s unique framework presents some significant barriers for businesses hoping to break into the market, the EU’s second most populous country presents a major opportunity for those that do.
“I don’t have the feeling that we will have a lot of actors in France,” he acknowledges candidly. The pharmaceutical file requirements, coupled with the need for either an existing pharmaceutical exploitation license or a partnership with a licensed entity, will drastically limit the field.
“You need to have a complete pharmaceutical organisation with a pharmaceutical laboratory,” he added. Without an existing French pharmaceutical entity, companies from outside France must partner with licensed importers or manufacturers capable of handling the regulatory burden.
As such, Péribère notes that companies who’ve already invested heavily in the pilot, including Aurora Cannabis, Tilray, Little Green Pharma, and Panaxia, should have first-mover advantage.
“They didn’t make this investment to get away now. They are very motivated to come, and they have a good position to begin with.”
Overseed counts itself among this group. “As soon as the publication is made, we will be able to ask for the evaluation of this file,” he says, emphasising the company’s readiness to enter from day one.
The market will start small, likely around 10,000 patients in the first year, according to estimates from Augur Associates and Prohibition Partners, before gradually expanding. With 300,000 to 800,000 potentially eligible patients across France’s five approved indications, and a projected annual turnover of €806m by 2035, the long-term opportunity is clear.
But Péribère emphasises that regulatory approval is only the beginning. The real challenge will be prescriber adoption.
“In every country, the question is always the education of the prescribers, the quality of the information we will be able to provide them. This will have a considerable impact on the accessibility of these medicines to the patient.”
France currently has a base of 2,000-3,000 healthcare professionals trained through the experimentation programme, a head start most markets lack. Yet scaling beyond early adopters will require sustained education efforts.
These challenges and opportunities will be central topics at Cannabis Europa Paris on February 19, where Péribère and other industry leaders will examine whether France’s unique approach justifies the countless delays in the eyes of patients.
These challenges and opportunities will be central topics at Cannabis Europa Paris on February 19, where Péribère and other industry leaders will examine whether France’s unique approach justifies the countless delays in the eyes of patients.
