This is a first at the Marseille court. Sébastien Béguerie, 31, was released from sentence after being convicted of using and possessing 19 cannabis plants at his home. The reason for this exemption: therapeutic use. This patient has in fact received medical prescriptions for cannabis, which he uses to treat attention disorders and bipolar disorders from which he suffers. The young Marseillais, specialized in plant sciences after a master’s degree in the Netherlands, also founded the Kanavape strat-up, which markets hemp electronic cigarettes. However, the latter do not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychotropic substance present in cannabis and which gives it its intoxicating effects. A staunch defender of therapeutic cannabis, Sébastien Béguerie also pleaded in favor of the creation of cannabis therapy services in French hospitals in 2014.
Authorized use for certain diseases
The medical use of cannabis has been recognized in France since 2013 in the case of multiple sclerosis. However, the drug authorized in this case, Sativex®, is still not available in pharmacies. At the same time, the use of cannabis is sometimes recommended or even medically prescribed against pain related to myopathies or Horton’s disease. But patients are not legally allowed to cultivate it or consume it in its smoked form. Recent studies also show that cannabis may help reduce the overuse of pain medication and could prove effective in treatment of bipolar disorder and glaucoma.
>> To read also:
Medical cannabis: what exactly is it for?
Cannabis: research needs new studies to move forward
Medicinal cannabis would not be effective
The real dangers of cannabis
