The National Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy are unhappy with the way ANSM’s trial on therapeutic cannabis is being conducted to see if it is medically relevant to legalize it.
- In 2020, cannabis remains by far the most experienced illicit product in France.
- Nearly half of adults (46%) have already consumed it.
“To demonstrate the effectiveness of therapeutic cannabis, it is imperative to carry out clinical trials that do not derogate from the good practices in force”. In a press release, the National Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy deliver a sharp criticism of the experiment currently being carried out by the ANSM to assess the need for the legalization of therapeutic cannabis in France.
“Methodological, safety and ethical requirements”
An ongoing experiment (2021-2023) on so-called “therapeutic” cannabis has been proposed, in a very exceptional way, by a specialized scientific committee, and has been validated by the National Agency for the Health Safety of Medicines and Products health. It covers five pathologies: pain refractory to available therapies, certain forms of severe and drug-resistant epilepsy, supportive care in oncology, palliative situations and painful spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
The National Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy recall that this experiment “derogates from the methodological, safety and ethical requirements that govern the evaluation of any drug candidate.By a decree of October 16, 2020 which sets the specifications for cannabis-based medicines, these were exempted from a randomized clinical trial, when we know that it is the only one capable of evaluating a satisfactory way of the benefit/risk balance of a drug candidate, in the interest of patients”, write the experts. “Another anomaly is related to the fact that the experimentation does not concern pure substances, but products based on dried cannabis flowers and multi-component extracts”, they add.
“Media or political pressure”
The Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy also recall that the global pharmaceutical industry has unsuccessfully tested, in recent years, many synthetic cannabinoids in search of analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. They also consider that the ongoing experimentation on the possible therapeutic effects of cannabis “should be free from media or political pressures that deceive patients’ expectations”.
70% of French people are currently in favor of the legalization of therapeutic cannabis in our country, and 51% are for the legalization of recreational cannabis.
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