According to the European Union Drugs Agency’s 2025 report, France is home to the highest lifetime cannabis usage rate by adults in the European Union. Over half of adults in France (50.4%) report having used cannabis at least once during their lifetime. For context, the next closest nations on the report are Spain at 43.7% and Denmark at 37.6%.

When filtering the results by more frequent use, a reported 10.8% of adults in France have consumed cannabis at least once in the last year, placing France only behind Spain (12.6%). Roughly 6.8% of adults in France report having consumed cannabis at least once in the last month.

France’s population is about 68.5 million people, and its cannabis consumer base is massive. Unfortunately, an estimated 99.7% of France’s cannabis industry remains unregulated, resulting in a lot of profit potential going untapped by entrepreneurs and investors.

“France just ended their medical cannabis pilot program and is in the process of designing and deploying a more expansive medical program.” stated Beau Whitney of Whitney Economics in his most recent newsletter. Mr. Whitney provided the following data points about France’s cannabis market:

• France’s total potential cannabis market for both medical and adult-use products is valued at $8.3 billion
• France is ranked in the top three European markets for cannabis
• There are an estimated 4.6 million cannabis consumers in France
• If expanded to incorporate pain management, inflammation, and anxiety, the total number of medical patients could reach 300,000 to 800,000 patients
• Boosting medical cannabis access in France could reduce health care system expenditures by nearly $1 billion

“There are many opportunities for investment into the French cannabis and wellness markets. Keep in mind, as a medical grower/supplier in France, one has access to the entire EU market. Getting a foot in the door in France could prove to be quite lucrative in the future.” Beau Whitney stated.

A previous study by an economic advisory board within the nation’s prime minister’s office determined that the French government spends roughly €570m annually on cannabis prohibition enforcement. The study recommended that France adopt adult-use cannabis legalization and launch a regulated recreational industry.

Emmanuelle Auriol, a professor at the Toulouse School of Economics who authored the study’s report and findings, estimated that such a policy change could create as many as 80,000 new jobs, and generate €2.8bn in taxes annually.