Cannabis (illustration).

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Libor Sojka / AP / SIPA

  • The information mission on the regulation and the impact of the different uses of cannabis was created in January 2020. Since November 2020, the 33 deputies who make it up have been interested in so-called “recreational” cannabis and have heard from around 80 experts.

  • A citizen consultation on the use of recreational cannabis was also launched by MPs at the start of 2021. 253,194 citizens took the time to answer MPs' questions online.

  • A very large majority of voters plebiscite the legalization of this drug, the use of which is prohibited in France.

“This is a result which shows that the subject is important and that it arouses the interest of the French.

"Thematic rapporteur of the parliamentary mission on cannabis, LREM deputy from Loiret Caroline Janvier was" surprised "by the number of responses to the citizen consultation on the recreational use of this product.

Between January 13 and February 28, 2021, 253,194 people answered an online questionnaire on the website of the National Assembly.

And their observation is clear: they are only 4.37% to consider that the law allows today to limit the use of cannabis and nearly 80% of them are in favor of legalization.

Who are the French who took the time to answer the nine pages of questions from the fact-finding mission?

Mainly young people aged 18 to 29 (46.96%), or people over 40 (25.37%).

Some people use cannabis regularly or every day (30.86%), others never (30.80%).

Authorize the cultivation of cannabis

In detail, more than nine out of ten respondents believe that the crackdown on cannabis consumption does not make it possible to limit its extent (92.07%), nor to effectively fight against trafficking (92.09%).

A large majority of French people who participated in this consultation (80.80%) propose to legalize cannabis, while 13.8% of them say they are in favor of decriminalization.

Conversely, a tiny minority of voters indicated that they were in favor of strengthening sanctions (4.6%) or in favor of maintaining the legal framework in force (0.82%).

Many imagine that cannabis can be marketed in specialized shops (62.4%).

Others suggest that its sale be regulated along the lines of alcohol (24.2%).

For 8.6% of voters, cannabis could be offered in tobacco shops, while 3.8% of them believe that it should be over the counter.

Above all, a vast majority of them are in favor of the state allowing individuals to grow plants themselves within limits set by law.

"Legalization does not mean trivialization"

These contributions will feed into the report of the fact-finding mission on the “recreational” aspect of cannabis, which should be presented within a month.

“In addition, the hearings of specialists that we conducted showed that it was possible to do differently,” recalls the member for Loiret.

“In particular, we can draw inspiration from foreign experiences.

We have a lot of material and tools to formulate very concrete proposals, and to show that in reality, legalization does not mean trivialization.

On the contrary, with another model, such as legalization regulated by the State, we will be able to better respond to security and health issues.

"

For Caroline Janvier, "the legalization of cannabis is no longer a taboo in France".

It remains to be seen whether the President of the Republic will be sensitive to the arguments developed by the deputies in their report.

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, recalled during a trip to Marseille his moral opposition to the legalization of cannabis.

To fight against trafficking in the Phocean cities, he announced new police reinforcements.

An idea that his predecessors had already had and which has however never shown its effectiveness, the networks dismantled by the investigators being replaced within the hour by others, as shown in a recent article in

La Provence

 concerning the Bouches-du-Rhône.

Society

Cannabis: "We must stop having an ideological approach," says MP Caroline Janvier

Justice

Marseille: With 300 additional police officers, Darmanin says he wants to "harass the deal points"

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