Patients currently receiving medical cannabis as part of the French trial have been granted a temporary reprieve. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist signed the accompanying letter guaranteeing continued access to treatment, potentially until the first quarter of 2027 , pending the widespread implementation of medical cannabis.
The initial coverage was due to end at the end of March 2026, raising concerns that patients would abruptly lose access to their treatments.
The French experiment with medical cannabis has officially ended, but a small group of patients continues to receive treatment through special exemptions. According to our information, just under 700 patients are still receiving medical cannabis under this program.
This population represents only a fraction of the approximately 3,200 patients who participated in the pilot phase between 2021 and 2024. The pilot program itself was launched under Article 43 of the 2020 Social Security Financing Law (LFSS) , with the aim of assessing whether France could safely prescribe and distribute cannabis-derived medicines through pharmacies. The ANSM concluded that the initial data confirmed the viability of the system.
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