Drugs

Calls for French MP's resignation after being caught buying drugs

Member of far-left party has entered a rehabilitation programme for drug addiction

Alert over rise in dangerous synthetic opioids in France

The drugs, which are 500 times stronger than heroin, have already caused two deaths in France and dozens across Europe

French mayor arrested after 70kg of cannabis found at home

20 gold bars and almost a kilo of cocaine were also found in searches, which also took place at the mairie, and the pharmacy where she works

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‘Medicines to avoid in 2024’ list published by French medical review

The 105 drugs are considered to be ‘more dangerous than useful’ but the majority are still widely available and used

Man shot dead in bed from stray bullet fired at flat below in France

Police believe 55-year old has ‘nothing to do with’ any criminal activity and was hit by mistake

Drugs, sex…and a dead cat? Plot thickens in French senator MP case

The senator has denied all charges after an MP claimed she began to feel unwell at his home after drinking a glass of Champagne

How does France plan to tackle shortages to ‘more than 3,000 drugs’?

President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to bring back to France the production of certain medicines

Rolexes, Lamborghini: seized drug dealers’ goods sold off in France

Around €700,000 of luxury goods went under the hammer in Paris

Cocaine-related A&E admissions in France soar

The sharp rise in emergency admissions for cocaine comes as production of the drug soars in Europe

Don’t give human drugs to pets’ alerts French health safety agency

Paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, and antidepressants can all be fatal to pets, said the Anses health authority

Don’t use diabetic drug for weight loss, warns French health agency

The drug has hit headlines after videos on social media platform TikTok hailed it as helping weight loss

Cocaine bags continue to be found washed-up on beaches in Normandy

In the space of just four days, hundreds of kilograms of the drug have been discovered in hermetically-sealed bags

Legalise cannabis, say advisors to French state

France’s prohibitive drug laws have failed to prevent people from taking drugs , according to a new report from representatives of civil society

Calls for harder line on drug driving after French actor’s crash

The Pierre Palmade cocaine crash – which led to the death of a pregnant passenger’s baby – has shocked France, and reignited calls for harsher punishments for drug-drivers

French Levothyrox case forced to open in concert hall

A Lyon court hearing into the ongoing case of controversial thyroid medication Levothyrox has opened in a concert hall after the city’s Palais de Justice proved too small to host the 4,113 plaintiffs present.

France medicine shortage: Which products are affected and why?

Certain commonly used medicines have been growing more scarce for the past decade, and some experts suggest that the shortages could be down to pharmaceutical company tactics

France to ask public opinion on recreational cannabis

An online questionnaire is being launched to gauge public opinion on recreational marijuana use, before parliamentary debates on the issue

CBD: Shops for cannabis-derived products boom in France

The market for the ‘feel good’ non-THC compound could reach €1 billion in France, proponents say, as the European Court of Justice rules it is legal

France releases list of 93 dangerous medicines to avoid

An annual list of medicines which are ‘more dangerous than useful’ has been released. People taking them are advised to seek replacements

France to address medicine shortage as situation worsens

As the medication shortage worsens in France, the Senate and MPs are debating how to address it - as a consumer association condemns the 'inaction'

High-risk patients in France hit by vital medicine shortages

Many vital treatments are in short supply across Europe, with shortages in France are six times higher this year than 2016

European court: French ban on CBD products illegal

The European Court of Justice has ruled that France’s laws on CBD products are illegal, as CBD does ‘not have a negative effect on human health’

France issues dietary supplement warning amid Covid crisis

A list of plant-based supplements that could interfere with the body’s immune response against Covid has been issued by health and food safety agency Anses

French MPs hit out against proposed legalisation of cannabis

A group of 80 MPs in France have hit out against recent political arguments for the legalisation of cannabis, saying that there is no such thing as a “soft drug”.

Thieves in SW France mistake hemp plants for cannabis

Industrial hemp looks similar to cannabis

France introduces €200 spot fine for drug use from today

The measure, which has been tested in some French cities since June with over 500 fines issued, is now being rolled out across France.

Old Levothyrox formula available in France until end of 2021

The previous formula of controversial hypothyroid medication Levothyrox is to be available in France until the end of 2021, health authority la Direction Générale de la Santé (DGS) has confirmed.

Medical cannabis tests to start in January in France

First tests of medicinal cannabis should start early next year for 3,000 patients with illnesses such as epilepsy, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy side-effects, plus those on palliative care.

France may ban 'laughing gas' sale to minors as usage grows

France may soon ban the sale of nitrous oxide capsules - known as “laughing gas” - to minors, as national health body Anses launches a study into the chemical’s increased use and possible neurological side effects.

EU to authorise drug remdesivir for severe Covid-19 cases

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended that the drug remdesivir be “conditionally” sold for the treatment of severe Covid-19 in the EU, making it the first Covid-19 drug set to be authorised in Europe.

New laws and changes in France: July 2020

From litter and drug use fines to the temporary unemployment scheme, here are the new laws and changes to note this month.

Controversial French prof: ‘I could have halved Covid death’

Controversial French infectious diseases specialist, Professor Didier Raoult, has said that “if people had listened to me, we would have had half the number of deaths from coronavirus”, in a new interview.

WHO halts trials of controversial drug hydroxychloroquine

Medical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 patients - a version of which has been widely championed by French Professor Didier Raoult - have been stopped by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

France starts trials of on the spot fixed fines for drug use

On-the-spot, fixed fines for consumers of cannabis and cocaine are to come into force in some parts of France from today (June 16), ranging from €150 to €450, as an experimental method to curb drug use.

Trial resumes for French slimming drug Mediator

A trial into the deaths of hundreds of people in France suspected to have been caused by weight-loss drug Mediator, has resumed after an 11-week pause due to confinement.

French Covid-19 drug trials may resume

Study that prompted World Health Organisation to halt trials of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus called into question

France requests revision of controversial virus drug

France has demanded a revision of the rules for prescribing controversial Covid-19 treatment hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), after a study was published suggesting that the drug is ineffective.

New French test checks if medicines worsen Covid-19

The French government is urging people to check if their regular medication could unwittingly worsen Covid-19 symptoms, and has created a new online tool to help you check.

Covid-19: Medicines to avoid, after French man dies

Recommendations have been put out as to medicines to avoid that may worsen Covid-19 symptoms, after a 28-year-old man who had been taking regular ibuprofen died from acute respiratory distress.

French lab offers ‘millions of doses’ of Covid-19 drug

A French medical laboratory has said it is ready to give the French authorities “millions of doses” of an anti-malaria medication that early tests have suggested may help cure Covid-19.

France widens Covid-19 drug tests amid vaccine search

The French government has authorised more trials of a drug that could help heal Covid-19, as early tests in France were deemed “promising”, and research continues worldwide into a possible vaccination.

France limits sale of paracetamol due to Covid-19

France is now limiting the sale of paracetamol to just one or two packs per person - without a doctor’s prescription - as people stock up on the drug during the Covid-19 crisis.

France’s medical cannabis trial sparks market battle

Tensions are rising between European companies, Canadian firms and French producers as France prepares to allow imports of cannabis-based medical treatments on a trial basis later this year.

Patients in France may get end-of-life drug at home

A powerful sedative used in palliative end-of-life care is to be available on prescription in all pharmacies in France within four months.

French medical cannabis trial sparks market battle

Tensions are rising between European companies, Canadian firms and French producers as France prepares to allow imports of cannabis-based medical treatments on a trial basis later this year.

It’s high time to legalise drugs in France

The article about drug consumption ( Connexion, January issue ) prompts me to write.

Painkillers go behind counters at French chemists

Painkillers such as aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen are no longer freely available on pharmacy shelves in France

Branded medicines only reimbursed at price of generic

Patients who refuse generic versions of their medication where one exists are now reimbursed less under new rules aimed at saving the state €100 million per year.

Antibiotics prescribed less but still over-used

Use of antibiotics is reducing – but France remains the third largest European user in terms of population size after Greece and Cyprus.

Branded medicines now only reimbursed at generic price

Patients in France who refuse generic versions of their medication will now be reimbursed less, under new rules that came into force on January 1, which are expected to save the State €100 million per year.

Debate: Will fine for users stop drug abuse in France?

Anyone caught using drugs in a public space, from smoking cannabis to taking other drugs such as cocaine, faces fines in Rennes, Reims and Créteil

France may start giving out medicines in exact amounts

Medicines in France should be given out by the unit to avoid waste, it has been proposed, as Parliament considers and approves the idea for certain medicines by 2022.

‘Medicines to avoid in 2020’ list published in France

A list of the 105 medicines that the French public should avoid in 2020 has been published, including 12 new items that are judged to be “more dangerous than useful”.

Inquiry into 100kg drug discovery on French west coast

An inquiry has been opened after more than 700 kilograms of “high purity” drugs - mainly cocaine - were discovered on the Atlantic coast of France in the past three weeks.

France authorises medical cannabis in two-year trial

Medical cannabis is to become available for certain patients in France after the Assemblée Nationale this week authorised a two-year trial of the drug.

Drug users in French city of Rennes face €450 fine

People who smoke cannabis or take other illegal drugs in the French city of Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany) will soon be faced with a €200 fine, rising to €450 in some cases, in a new trial to “attack demand”.

Beware buying medicine online

Patients are risking their health by ordering medicines from foreign-based websites, experts have warned.

Mediator drug trial begins in France

Servier laboratory accused of covering up the dangerous side effects of slimming drug blamed for hundreds of deaths

Cannabis sweets ‘dangerous’, warns French poison unit

Sweets containing cannabis bought online can be much more dangerous than they may first appear, the Anti-poison Centre in Paris has warned.

Six 'poisoned' by drug in fake cigarettes in one town

Drug contained inside tobacco described as "400 times more powerful than cannabis"

Action plan against medicine shortages in France

A package of measures has been unveiled to avoid short-ages of vital medicines, a problem that has been growing in recent years in France.

Young leave smoking and drugs - for vaping

Young people are smoking less and reducing their drug use, turning instead to electronic cigarettes.

Legalise cannabis in France, economic think tank says

Recreational cannabis should be legalised in France, with a suggested fixed price of €9 per gram, an economic think tank under the authority of the Prime Minister has recommended.

Shortages of medicines putting patients at risk

Medecine shortages have increased ten-fold in the last decade, creating major risks for patients – including cancer and Parkinson’s sufferers.

France is to start medical cannabis trials this year

The first medical cannabis trials in France are due to start before the end of this year.

Homeopathy: France should not reimburse, report says

Homeopathic medicine should no longer be reimbursed by the French State, as it provides “insufficient medical service”, health authority La Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) has recommended this week.

French pro-homeopathy campaign launches after backlash

Pro-homeopathy groups in France are mounting a defence of their products, as medical authorities debate whether the medicine should be reimbursed and some health professionals condemn the drugs.

Medical cannabis on test for first time in France

Medical cannabis will be tested on Parkinson’s, sclerosis and epilepsy sufferers for the first time in France.

Chemists may offer simple medicines without a doctor

Chemists may be allowed to deliver some medicines without a doctor’s prescription.

Banned French race horses drugged due to ‘old hay’

Two race horses in the Haute-Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) that tested positive for the banned drug boldenone had the substance in their system due to inadvertently eating old hay, it has been confirmed.

MPs vote down drugs plan

MPs have rejected an MP’s proposal to allow pharmacists to dispense certain drugs for minor illnesses without a doctor’s prescription.

France introduces fixed fine for drug use

The French Assemblée Nationale has voted to introduce a fixed €200 fine for the use of narcotics - and cannabis in particular - in an effort to step up the fight against illegal drugs.

French doctors call for ‘action plan’ on scarce drugs

Doctors and medical associations in France have called for an “urgent plan of action” to ensure the country does not run out of life-saving medicine, amid reports that more drugs are becoming scarce.

Fight against teenage addiction in France

We must change attitudes, says Dr Catherine Bernard, who is responsible for health at Mildeca, the government agency which draws up strategies to combat addictive behaviour. It must not be accepted as normal behaviour for young people to be smoking in front of schools, drinking regularly and smoking cannabis. She spoke to Connexion ahead of November, designated as a Mois sans Tabac (tobacco-free month), one of the government’s campaigns.

Cutback on medicine brands

Patients who refuse a generic medicine in place of a branded one from January 2020 will only be reimbursed based on the price of the generic, according to next year’s social security budget bill.