14 associations up in arms against cannabis fines

The announcement that contraventionnalisation du cannabis by Jean CASTEX will at least have had one short-term result: to unite 14 associations against the repenalization of cannabis in France.

On the one hand, the Association Guyanaise de Réduction des Risques, AIDES, ASUD, Fédération Addiction, Ligue des Droits de l'Homme, L630, Médecins du Monde, NORML France, Police contre la Prohibition, Principes Actifs, Syndicat des Avocats de France, Syndicat de la Magistrature and SOS Addictions denounce the 'illusory firmness» of the fine »for real perverse effects«.

«The expected effects of this measure are the stuff of magical thinking. According to the Prime Minister, the lump-sum fine, because it would be systematically and massively distributed, would dissuade the five million or so cannabis users, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who use other drugs. The impact on demand would mean that neighborhoods would finally be rid of their drug-dealing spots, and the crime and violence they engender», notes the press release inter-associative.

On the other, the Association Nationale de Prévention en Alcoologie et Addictologie (ANPAA) regrets that «the Prime Minister has decided to extend the experiment to the whole of France without waiting for an assessment of its results or local framework», and calls for «a controlled legalization of cannabis», the only way to ensure 'coherent prevention, and [a] drying up of the mafia networks which make a living from it, and which lock up housing estates in ghettos of poverty».»

Is this really a surprise?

If we look back at the work of the information mission on contraventionnalisation, healthcare professionals, the Syndicat de la Magistrature and Roselyne Bachelot had already opposed the proposed fine on the grounds that «it wouldn't change a thing».

The "amende forfaitaire délictuelle" doesn't break any taboos! It only adds to what already exists (prison...) uniform fines distributed in a chain without going through a judge: it won't work and that's why other countries do things differently. https://t.co/tCHXF4pVr6

- SMagistrature (@SMagistrature) January 21, 2018

The conclusion of the fact-finding mission was equally clear-cut. One of the co-rapporteurs, Robin Reda, recommended quasi-depenalization, with no criminal record and without data, against which the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (Human Rights League) has, moreover lodged an appeal with the Conseil d'Etat.

The government line had nevertheless held firm, while at the same time having difficulty justifying the need and the expected results of this fine. The outcry from these 14 associations comes as no surprise.