France: could cannabis be sold through tobacconists?

Tobacco retailers are stepping up their efforts to establish a foothold in the cannabis market.

Although he had already contacted the health minister last June to hint at the sale of CBD cannabis, and then submitted a question to a member of Congress To inquire about the exclusivity of this business, Philippe Coy, president of the Confederation of Tobacco Retailers, granted an interview with Le Parisien this weekend, in which he calls for exclusive rights to sell cannabis if its use by adults were ever legalized.

«We support recreational cannabis if it is regulated. And we are ready to sell it in our tobacco shops.»

He went on to emphasize: «If CBD—and cannabis more broadly—are legalized, we want to be part of that market. We’re even asking for exclusivity.»

The arguments put forward by tobacco shop owners, repeated this morning on Europe 1 by Bernard Gasq, president of the Île-de-France chapter of the Confederation of Tobacco Retailers, are twofold:

• Cannabis could offset the decline in cigarette sales
• Tobacco retailers already have contracts with the government to sell controlled substances

If the Switzerland has indeed authorized the sale of CBD cannabis Since "cannabis light" is considered a tobacco substitute in neighboring Switzerland, can THC-containing cannabis actually be sold in tobacco shops? In any case, the many examples from other countries have all taken a different approach: sales through state-licensed specialty stores.

Sales monitoring is necessary

If we consider only those countries where cannabis has been strictly legalized, stores that sell cannabis sell ONLY cannabis and related accessories:

• The United States has its own health clinics, which are alcohol- and tobacco-free; smoking is, in any case, highly frowned upon across the Atlantic, where there are very aggressive anti-smoking campaigns
• Canada will have state-run stores or privately owned stores operating under license, often managed by the provincial liquor board
• Uruguay offers three ways to obtain cannabis: through pharmacies, cannabis clubs, or personal cultivation. Consumers must choose one of these methods to obtain cannabis.

Closer to home, the Netherlands has its own coffeeshops and Spain has its cannabis clubs, which are also separate spaces (though, okay, sometimes they serve a few beers).

Cannabis is not a harmless substance. Unlike alcohol or cigarettes (which cause 130,000 deaths a year), it is not highly addictive, but everyone reacts differently to its effects, which are by no means predictable.

The wide variety of products that can be made from cannabis or contain it requires product knowledge and expert guidance, which is quite different from that for tobacco or alcohol, both in terms of preventing the risks associated with its use and in terms of the best practices needed for a positive experience, not to mention the ability to inform consumers about the various cannabis varieties, their flavors, effects, dosages, origins, and manufacturing processes for various types of hash, concentrates, or edibles...

Given that smoking cannabis is more harmful, especially when mixed with tobacco, and that it can have unpredictable effects when combined with alcohol or medication, will tobacco retailers truly establish themselves as a safe distribution channel for cannabis?