Aurora Cannabis Delivers First Batch of Cannabis to France After Jamaica Ships Cannabis to Germany

As the cannabis industry in America continues to grow, other countries are paying attention and seeking ways to tap into such a revenue-generating industry. France and Aurora are taking the lead on this one, paving the way for countries getting ready for an explosive marijuana market, despite UN drug treaties forbidding selling and shipping cannabis.

France getting its first shipment

France has received its first shipment of free dried marijuana flowers from Aurora Cannabis, and the marijuana will be utilized by patients in the country's pilot program. Only a few patients will receive this free shipment as cannabis enthusiasts are curious about what this could mean for the future marijuana market in France.

Aurora Germany GmbH is a subsidiary part of Aurora Cannabis Inc. The company collaborated with Ethypharm to send the first marijuana medicinal consignment to France. The purpose of this delivery is to kick-start France's first cannabis scheme.

Germany has already started importing medical marijuana from Jamaica from trusted partners around the world.

The National Agency selected Aurora and Ethypharm for Safety Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) to distribute dried flowers to the patients. The companies also signed a pact to partner with ANSM in October 2020. The agreement stipulates that Aurora will distribute medical marijuana from its largest European center, Aurora Nordic.

The agreement also confirms that Ethypharm will handle the distribution of the dried cannabis in the whole of France. The program enables companies to participate with the knowledge that the product they send will be free.

Aurora's role in the free distribution

The Chief Executive officer of Aurora, Miguel Martin, spoke on behalf of the company and described the move as a "Great honor" for the company. He reinstated further that the first prescription of dry medical marijuana, which is part of the French pilot scheme, is crucial to ensuring equitable access to patients.

Aurora believes that the program will also boost the destigmatization of medical marijuana in France. Martin also asserted that Aurora's accomplishment is an example of the company's leadership within the global marijuana space.

The company has a track record of backing the progression of international medical marijuana markets while working with government agencies. Aurora has demonstrated an unfailing commitment to being focused on product quality and compliance which enabled them to win three out of nine tenders.

If this pilot program succeeds, it can become one of the largest controlled medical marijuana industries in Europe.

Ethypharm's role in the free distribution

On Ethypharm's role, Jean Monin, the Chief Commercial Operations Officer, maintains that it was an honor for the company to be picked to work on the French program. He believes that with a combination of its pharmaceutical capacity and consumer trust over the years, medical marijuana in France will become a success.

Monin reiterates that Ethypharm wants to be a "Driving force" with providing support for patients who suffer from chronic pain. They believe that the support they provide with marijuana will be an effective alternative when other therapeutic options fail.

Ethypharm's long-standing expertise with disorders in the central nervous system and their proficiency in regulated medicine has prepared them for this collaboration. They are set to work with health officials and physicians in France to take cannabis medicine to greater heights.

Details on the kind of dry marijuana flower delivered in France

Three types of dried marijuana flower were transported to France, and this includes:

Aurora 20/1 XPE (high levels of THC)

Aurora 8/8 XPE (stable amount of THC and CBD)

Aurora 1/12 XPE (high levels of CBD)

It is expected that the flowers will be utilized with vaporizers gotten from STORZ & BICKEL.

After the French authorities announced this pilot program in October 2020, it referenced the scheme as an experiment. The first decree informed that the project would last for a two-year period from the first patient's prescription phase, but this wouldn't go beyond March 31, 2021. After the stipulated date, the program can serve about 3,000 patients who need the treatment option.

How France received the cannabis pilot program

Nadine Attal is a pain specialist working at Ambroise-Pare Hospital in France. She is part of the task force that will supervise the pilot program. She maintains that a cluster of patients responds very well to the cannabis product, especially those with chronic pain.

Sometimes chronic pain can resist all manner of drugs and treatment, so to hear that cannabis enables some improvement is a huge relief. Attal shared her optimism in an interview with Radio France Internationle, and again, it reiterates that France is ready for a cannabis explosion.

Furthermore, Attal stated that this pilot program is not a scientific test; thus, a placebo wouldn't be offered to some patients. Instead, this will become one channel through which researchers can analyze how it is used in real life as a medicine.

Attal insists that France will study more about the type of patients that will respond to cannabis and then recognize side effects such as drowsiness, fatigue, or vertigo if applicable. Aurora Cannabis was one of the six companies that participated in the country's medical marijuana program.

The other foreign companies include:

Australia's Althea and Little Green Pharma

Canada's Tilray

Israel's Panaxia

The UK's Emmac Life Sciences.

The emphasis was on foreign companies because marijuana flowers that contain over 2.0 THC are prohibited in France.

France is part of a handful of European countries currently experimenting with medical cannabis by starting a temporary pilot scheme. Experts say it may take longer before the European market is ready for full-scale legal adult-use cannabis, but with countries like France testing the waters, it seems closer than ever.

Bottom Line

Although this move by Aurora is not a large-scale cannabis distribution like one would see in America, it is still a lot of progress for the country. The fact that select patients are willing to try cannabis with the backing of health authorities shows that the marijuana market in France is getting set for an overhaul.

From free samples for patients, soon enough, there will be a more substantial business collaboration that will see cannabis blossom in the French market. Right now, Aurora, in partnership with Ethypharm, is leading the way, and that path will enable a more robust and profitable marijuana sector in France.