Currently, the recreational use of cannabis is still considered illegal in all European states. Some countries have started the process to decriminalize the use of recreational cannabis, while some others, 22 in total, have legalized some forms of medical cannabis, also called cannabis-based medicine. France, who had so far walked the path of medicinal cannabis, is now considering to decriminalize the use of recreational marijuana.
To understand that shift of opinions, let’s dive into a bit of legislative history.
- In June 2013, France approved a brand new medicinal cannabis legislation, making the green lady legal as a prescribed medicine only.
- In 2019, France introduced the medical cannabis access pilot scheme.
- In November 2020, the European Court of Justice forced France to legalize the use of CBD in the country.
Since then, CBD shops have been booming all over the country ; with about 400 to 500 shops marketing themselves under the appealing industry of mindfulness. The shops are located mainly in big cities and currently offer many different types of CBD-related products such as herbs, teas, honeys, chocolates and cosmetics.
This unexpected boom has accelerated the debate around the legalization of recreational cannabis in the country. A big change of perspective for France who has always been extremely repressive in regards to drugs. In fact, until now, France had always been closed to the debate, with extensive and severe prohibition politics around the use of soft drugs like cannabis. Fines would oscillate between 200 and 3750 euros, with up to a year of prison if you were caught with some greens in your pocket.
Why has France been that restrictive so far?
Well, it might be ill-mannered to dive deep into clichés, but French people are well-known to be reactionary and conservative despite their epicurean lifestyle based on excellent wine and food. Moreover, it seems legitimate to consider that there are also lots of misconceptions around the plant and its different uses ; misconceptions that lead part of the French population to feel resistance in regards to the legalization of cannabis.
France suffers from paradoxes. However conservative France might be as a country, its citizens reverses the trend. Indeed, French remain the biggest users of Cannabis in Europe, with around 1 million daily smokers and about 5 millions occasional ones.
Conscious of the epic fail in trying to prohibit cannabis in clearly the “highest” country of Europe, the government is now starting to reconsider its legislation on the legalization of recreational cannabis which, if legalized, would have a controlled dose of THC. The government is also thinking of developing some forms of pedagogical and support groups for cannabis users.
In fact, with the upcoming election taking place in 2022, the debate has accelerated even more. The parliament has created a poll asking the opinion of its citizens on the topic, which so far has been answered by more than 230 000 people.
Who knows, maybe soon enough the Eiffel Tower will shine in green. In the meantime, studies foresee a 1,3 billions euros profit for the French market ; a significant amount of money for a country that yearly spends 500 millions euros for the prohibition of cannabis.
