France is home to one of the largest cannabis consumer bases on earth. With a total population of roughly 68 million people, an estimated 10.6% of French adults reported having consumed cannabis within the last year according to a 2022 survey conducted by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies in partnership with the Santé Publique France agency. That works out to potentially millions of adult cannabis consumers in France.
Unfortunately, the public policies and regulations in France are such that the domestic industry is very limited. Adult-use cannabis is prohibited in France, and medical cannabis is limited to thousands of patients who are permitted to participate in an experimental medical cannabis program. CBD products are legal in France and make up a vast majority of the nation’s legal cannabis industry.
According to data from Statista:
- The Cannabis market in France is expected to reach a projected revenue of US$560.90m in 2024.
- It is anticipated that the market will experience an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 1.96%, leading to a market volume of US$618.10m by 2029.
Lawmakers in France have seemed hesitant to embrace cannabis policy modernization efforts. However, France’s neighbor Germany passed a national adult use legalization measure in February, with the first provisions of the new law taking effect on April 1, 2024. With adult use legalization ramping up across France’s border with Germany, it is possible that France’s cannabis policies could evolve in the coming years.
In addition to Germany, Malta and Luxembourg have also passed national legalization measures, although Luxembourg’s legalization model does not permit legal adult-use cannabis commerce. Malta’s legalization model permits noncommercial cannabis clubs to operate.
Similar to other European countries like the Czech Republic, France’s cannabis industry market potential depends entirely upon what level of cannabis commerce is permitted. The world learned via Germany’s legalization process that the European Union will not allow nationwide adult-use cannabis sales, such as what is currently in place in Canada, until EU agreements are amended.
As cannabis policy regulations and laws continue to evolve on the European continent, particularly in Germany, attitudes toward cannabis in France should evolve as well. In the meantime, France’s domestic cannabis industry potential will continue to be limited due to restrictive policies.