Cannabis fines to be rolled out in France in September

According to a report in *Le Point*, the fine for cannabis, «being tested» right now in Rennes, Reims, Créteil, and Boissy-Saint-Léger, will be deployed nationwide in September.

Any simple use of cannabis in public—namely, possession or consumption—will be subject to a fixed-amount administrative fine of €200, reduced to €150 if paid immediately and increased to €450 if not paid within 45 days.

It will apply only to cannabis offenses involving up to 100g and does not preclude criminal prosecution, which will be left to the discretion of law enforcement officers. Prosecution will be systematic for amounts exceeding 100g.

Expected and Future Challenges

To be subject to the fine, the person caught committing the offense must be of legal age and «admit to the facts, confirm the nature of the seized product, and agree to the confiscation and destruction of the seized narcotics and paraphernalia.» If the person refuses to admit to the facts or confirm the nature of the substances, the standard procedure should be followed.

The citation must be issued on the spot or, «in exceptional cases,» at the police station for «public order considerations, such as those related to the protection of officers.» «Any use of coercion,» however, is prohibited by the directive issued by the Ministry of the Interior.

A lawsuit filed by L630 has already was filed with the Council of State to challenge the validity of this fine, which will retain the traffic tickets for 10 years in a file that many people can access.