3 out of 4 young French people want to decriminalize cannabis at the very least

The French Institute of Public Opinion Opinion Way recently conducted a survey for the daily 20 Minutes. This survey was conducted among young French people in the ##MoiJeune community regarding their health. The results showed that more than three-quarters of them support at least the decriminalization of cannabis.

48% of young people say they support the legalization of cannabis

Just as President Emmanuel Macron has never spoken out in favor of a potential legalization in France, Prime Minister Gérard Collomb announced last month that A penalty for cannabis use should be put in place. in the coming months. A measure that would relieve the burden on the justice system and the police. The polling institute wanted to know what young French people think about this societal issue.

The investigation OpinionWay was conducted online from June 16 to 21, 2017, among a sample of 987 young French people aged 18 to 30. 48% of them support the full legalization of cannabis, and 28% want to decriminalize cannabis, which makes 3 out of 4 young people favor cannabis law reform in France. Conversely, 23% of young people want cannabis to remain illegal. This is a significant figure, especially when one considers that 17 million French people have already consumed cannabis at least once last year, according to the French Observatory on Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).

What young people think about cannabis

Among the young people who responded to this survey, some are more inclined to know the pros and cons of cannabis, particularly regarding health. This is what one surveyor stated: «The danger of cannabis is thinking that, because the addiction is less strong and the effects are not too severe, it's not a «drug».»

Another pollster explains that legalization remains an important resolution: «Even though I don't forget the dangerousness of these soft drugs, I believe people need to realize for themselves what is dangerous for them. Prohibition and saying that it's dangerous have never reduced consumption. Quite the opposite, it has exploded.»

Finally, one last pollster is favorable only to medical cannabis: «Many studies have proven the effectiveness of cannabis in treating certain illnesses, particularly cancer. Without being as harmful and debilitating as chemotherapy,» she stated.

Mehdi Bautier