What is François de Rugy's position on cannabis?

As François de Rugy has just been appointed Minister for Ecological Transition, replacing Nicolas Hulot, can his arrival change the government's position on the legalization of cannabis in France ?

François de Rugy and cannabis

Moving from ecologist parties to the Socialist group and then to La République en Marche, forsaking in the process his promise to follow Socialist primary winner Benoit Hamon, François de Rugy has a non-equivocal position on cannabis: he is for the legalization of cannabis in France, This is achieved through state-controlled distribution, in the same way as tobacconists.

Rugy had in fact made it a point of his program during the 2017 Socialist primary:

«Fighting the threat requires not just a show of authority, but a new lucidity: concentrating police and judicial resources on the essentials means putting an end to cannabis prohibition, which is NOT only the leading cause of organized crime, but also totally ineffective in the fight against drug addiction and a terrible drain on resources.»

Le point 40 of its program went into a little more detail in his vision of cannabis regulation:

« 40. Experiment with legalized use and controlled marketing of cannabis, to dry up mafia systems and relieve the police and judiciary.

Within 18 months of the presidential election, new legislation will be passed. It will have three components: health, safety and economics. It will include exclusive marketing of cannabis along the lines of tobacco shops. All sales outside this controlled network will remain illegal. This system will be valid for five years - the time it takes to measure its effects - at the end of which time either a law drawing lessons from the experience and correcting any perverse effects observed will be passed, or we will revert to the current legislation».»

A statement also repeated to Jean-Jacques Bourdin in November 2017, when he was already President of the National Assembly, stating that 'there is no majority in France to lead a policy of legalizing cannabis with controlled sales, including in tobacco shops».

By this, François de Rugy meant, as did he confirmed on Twitter, that, as the project to legalize cannabis is not part of the LREM program, the subject would not progress under Macron I as it would not find a majority in the National Assembly.

The end of hope?