The «cannabis» fine raised to 500 euros under the RIPOST Act

An agreement was reached between members of the National Assembly and the Senate in the Joint Committee on July 20 as part of the RIPOST bill. This text, which focuses on the everyday safety provides for several measures related to public order disturbances, including tougher penalties for drug use.

The joint version adopted by lawmakers still needs to be approved by a final vote in Parliament. Among the provisions included is, in particular, an increase in the’Fixed-amount fine for drug use, which will increase from 200 to 500 euros. This measure directly affects consumers and has drawn criticism from several legal and public health experts.

A fixed penalty for a misdemeanor increased to 500 euros

The Ripost Bill, whose full title is «Immediate Responses to Incidents That Disrupt Public Order, Safety, and Peace,» brings together a set of measures ranging from urban rodeos at free parties, including nitrous oxide and the use of narcotics.

The Joint Committee reinstated several provisions that had been removed during the National Assembly’s review. Among them is the increase in the’AFD for Drug Use, a a measure initially proposed by the government and already passed by the Senate.

The Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez confirmed that the amount of this fine would be set at 500 euros. This administrative penalty, which allows certain offenses to be handled without going before a judge, has been at the center of debate since its creation. While it allows for a faster police response to drug-related offenses, it completely sidesteps the public health issues associated with drugs, while providing an extremely convenient tool for meeting numerical targets and proving utterly ineffective in combating drug trafficking.

A policy that several organizations consider too repressive

The section of the bill dealing with narcotics is dividing opinion even beyond the halls of the National Assembly. During the debates, several left-wing lawmakers criticized the approach of imposing harsher penalties on users without simultaneously expanding prevention and support programs.

The bill also provides for the possibility that a prefect may temporarily suspend a person’s driver’s license in cases of ’repeated drug use,« even when the observed incidents are not directly related to driving. A measure that Taiwan will envy us.

This measure, adopted by members of Congress during the bill’s review, has sparked mixed reactions. Its supporters cite the road safety and the fight against accidents involving drivers who have consumed prohibited substances. Its critics argue that it imposes a penalty even before a traffic violation has been established.

The professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine Amine Benyamina In particular, he warned against the risk of conflating people suffering from addiction with those involved in criminal activities: «We’re tightening security measures, yet there isn’t even a hint of a proposal for treatment or prevention.»

A more comprehensive discussion of public order

Beyond narcotics, the Ripost Bill provides for the creation of new criminal offenses related to the organization of and participation in free parties, a ban on the sale of nitrous oxide to individuals, as well as stricter penalties against those who urban rodeos.

The bill also strengthens certain tools available to law enforcement agencies, particularly regarding the use of drones, automated license plate recognition, and the extension of the pilot program for the algorithmic video surveillance through 2030.

For its opponents, this accumulation of measures is part of a shift toward a more automated and punishment-focused justice system. The Judges' Union He thus criticizes a text that would prioritize «the sole lens of repression» at the expense of prevention and rehabilitation.

Following the agreement reached between the two chambers, the bill must now be put to a final vote. If it is adopted, the Ripost Bill will make drug users a new target.