Question 14442 — health

Summary

Mr. Guillaume Vuilletet draws the attention of the Minister of Solidarity and Health to the study of the authorization of therapeutic cannabis. Therapeutic cannabis has been authorized in the United Kingdom on prescription since November 1, 2018. In France, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (CCAD) has ruled that doctors should be able to prescribe therapeutic cannabis provided that the products meet safety standards (dosage of the molecule, general composition of the product, consideration of secondary risks, etc.). The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are committed to clearly defining what constitutes cannabis-derived medicines so that they can be prescribed. Unlike its European neighbors, France is slow to decide. Yet, some doctors emphasize the effectiveness of therapeutic cannabis in certain situations: management of chronic pain, physical disorders caused by chemotherapy, muscle spasms linked to multiple sclerosis, and the fact that the use of this substance can constitute an intermediate level, prior to the use of morphine. In the Netherlands, the Office for Medical Cannabis recommends its consumption in the form herbal teas or using vaporizers, devices that allow the active ingredient of cannabis to be inhaled in vapor form, without burning it or producing carcinogenic residues. An oral spray made from cannabis extracts, sativex, has also been available in pharmacies in Canada since 2005 in cases of serious neurological pathology (multiple sclerosis for example). There are two tetrahydrocannabinol medications (THC), active ingredient of synthetic cannabis in the United States and Canada, cesamet and marinol. In France, marinol is the only cannabinoid derivative used, but only through a specific procedure (a temporary authorization for nominative use), which is rarely known and even more rarely used by doctors. Only 63 patients have benefited from it since 2001. By ensuring the prohibition of its use recreational and considering the attenuation of the financial benefits of clandestine networks, it would be desirable for the Ministry of Health to continue to study the authorization of cannabis for therapeutic use, since its use could constitute real comfort for the patients concerned. The National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) has created a committee to assess the relevance of developing the therapeutic use of cannabis. He is committed to delivering his first conclusions by the end of 2018. He invites the ministry to take these current elements into account and would like to have a more precise idea of ​​the directions it wishes to take.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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