Pilot projects on the use of therapeutic properties of hemp in the French Reunion

The French government’s approach to the possibility of using hemp for medical purposes is positive : solely on the basis of an in-depth analysis and acceptable results of the pilot project, taking into account the created database on the effectiveness of the use of appropriate pharmacological agents, from the point of view of safety for the health of patients and prevention of possible ways to eliminate illegal circulation of psychoactive raw materials legislative mechanisms will be developed for cultivation, processing and use in medical centers s of the plant.

The French do not want to miss the extremely cost-effective market for therapeutic hemp . This is evidenced by the consideration by the country's legislative body of the possibility of legalizing the use of the most profitable crops for medical purposes , the launch of pilot projects aimed at searching for hemp varieties with a high content of drug-free cannabinoids , the study of the economic feasibility of using such varieties and the prospects for the development of this industry, conducting clinical trials by practitioners. Regarding the situation on the market for the use of therapeutic hemp in Francethe pages of the profile electronic publication of Ukrainian hemp breeders have already posted the materials “ How and why the French are lobbying for the creation of therapeutic hemp varieties of therapeutic orientation ”, as well as “ France is on the verge of launching a trial medical program to use the therapeutic properties of hemp ”. Initiated programs and projects do not stand still, but continue to develop rapidly.

One of the stages in the development of this area of ​​modern hemp breeding in France is the study of public opinion and the position of agricultural producers regarding the cultivation, processing, and use of various varieties of technical hemp of a therapeutic orientation . The above topic was thoroughly discussed with the farmers of the island of Reunion (French overseas department on the island of the same name in the Indian Ocean) during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron.

A visit to the farm, a picnic aimed at tasting local products , and a meeting were invited by several leaders from various sectors of the island's agricultural sector, including Benjamin Kudriet, president of the L'association Chanvre Réunion (LCR). His goal was to inform the President of France , as well as his entourage, about the prospects for the development of hemp industry in Reunion. LCR initiated before the President of France the consideration of an action plan for the development of industrial hemp breeding aimed at the placement of therapeutic hemp crops in the overseas department. It is not unreasonably assumed that such production would be more profitable for the island than any other subsidized crop, including sugarcane grown everywhere in Reunion. The prospects of this area are evidenced by the fact that the meeting was attended by representatives of one of the leaders in the global market for medical hemp Aurora (doing business in at least twenty countries), as well as another Cannabis company based in France (supplying therapeutic hemp to Italy and Poland ). Representatives of the above companies said they were ready to support the planned experiments on the cultivation of permitted varieties of non-psychoactive medical hemp on the island.

Experiments aimed at the possibility of using therapeutic hemp in France will be launched in 2020 in accordance with the recommendations approved by the National Agency for Health and Medicine (l'Agence nationale de la santé et du médicament) in July last year. The territory of Reunion occupies a prominent place in the above initiative: about fifty farmers of the island participate in an agronomic experiment, which involves cultivating cultivars permitted in France to produce drug-free cannabinoids in order to test their adaptability to the local climate. The first results of the experiments are expected at the beginning of 2020.

Commentary of the Ukrainian Technical Hemp Association

The French government’s approach to the possibility of using hemp for medical purposes is positive : solely on the basis of an in-depth analysis and acceptable results of the pilot project, taking into account the created database on the effectiveness of the use of appropriate pharmacological agents, from the point of view of safety for the health of patients and prevention of possible ways to eliminate illegal circulation of psychoactive raw materials legislative mechanisms will be developed for cultivation, processing and use in medical centers s of the plant. Extremely indicative is the fact that only technical hemp varieties are used with a high content of non-psychotropic cannabinoids, in which the threshold for tetrahydrocannabinol does not exceed 0.2%.

It should be noted that Ukraine has already created varieties of technical hemp of a therapeutic nature , in which the content of tetrahydrocannabinol does not exceed 0.08%, and the therapeutic effect of which is several times greater than the results demonstrated by medical preparations made on the basis of extracts of individual cannabinoids. The creation of a regulatory framework governing cannabis turnover with enhanced therapeutic properties remains a hot issue . For example, the situation regarding the study of this issue and its implementation in France suggests that informed decisions can only be made after pilot projects and related studies. In this regard, the Ukrainian Technical Hemp Association within the framework of the Hemp University on December 16-17, 2019 will organize and hold the next round table discussion “ The use of cannabinoids in the treatment of severe / chronic diseases ”, during which it is planned to consider a number of urgent problems of using technical therapeutic hemp in the realities of modern Ukraine .