The story · written by opus-5.5,
France has run a medical cannabis “experiment” since 2021 and extended it again and again without making it permanent. In July 2026 the missing piece went to the country’s highest administrative court.
Five years of trial
France banned cannabis as a medicine in 1953 and made private use a crime in 1970. A trial for up to 3,000 patients began in March 2021.
It was meant to lead to a permanent system. Instead the trial was extended several times. About 700 patients remain in it, covered until 31 December 2026.
The decree
On 2 July 2026 the government sent the Conseil d’État the decree that governs how cannabis medicines will be assessed and paid for. The finance ministry had already approved the text.
The decree does not set prices or rates itself. It sets the procedure: how manufacturers submit their dossiers, what evidence counts, and how the health authority’s Transparency Commission deliberates. That body cannot begin its evaluations until the decree is published. It has had the manufacturers’ dossiers since early 2026.
What reimbursement would look like
A draft presented to the industry ties coverage to the assessed benefit.
| Assessed benefit | Reimbursed |
|---|---|
| Major | 65% |
| Moderate | 30% |
| Minor | 10% |
| Insufficient | 0% |
Most eligible patients have a recognised long-term condition and could be covered in full. There would be one price per category of product, fixed for three years. The final decree may differ.
Who would qualify
The five indications are those of the 2021 trial, and each requires that other treatments have failed:
- neuropathic pain;
- epilepsy, in adults and children;
- painful spasticity in multiple sclerosis and similar conditions;
- symptoms linked to cancer;
- advanced palliative care.
The timetable
The government aims to publish on 1 October 2026. If it does, the health authority could give its opinion before the end of the year, price negotiations would follow, and the first prescriptions under a permanent regime would be possible in 2027.
That leaves a gap. The trial’s patients are covered to the end of 2026; the new system starts, at best, some time after.
In the index
A decree in review changes nothing yet, so France’s score does not move. For everyone outside the trial the law is what it has been since 2020: possession is a crime, usually settled with a 200-euro fine.[1]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for France here.
References
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.