Grand oral de l'élection présidentielle at CNAM: views on cannabis

On Wednesday, March 1, the presidential election debate was held at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), with support from the Think & Do Tank FAAAT, and in partnership with 20 Minutes. The six candidates in the election had been invited to present their platforms on the topic: «Drugs and Sexuality: What Policy Innovations Are Needed to Build French Society in 2030?» Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Marine Le Pen did not attend. The other candidates were represented by the member of their team responsible for that issue, which has the advantage of having a (usually) knowledgeable person present, and the disadvantage of not hearing the candidate’s own words.

For Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Marc Borello

Jean-Marc Borello is the president of the SOS Group, a French organization specializing in social work—particularly the development of support and treatment programs for people who use drugs—and one of the nine national delegates of the En Marche movement. To say he knows his subject—including cannabis and all the related issues—would be an understatement. For more information about him, here is a profile in *Libé*.

The Emmanuel Macron's stance on cannabis is as follows: he includes in his platform the contraventionnalisation, a form of decriminalization, to avoid costly and unnecessary legal proceedings. Its spokesperson believes it is necessary to organize a national roundtable on the topic of cannabis to gather the French public’s views on the matter, noting that it is always difficult to bring about change in a country against its will.

According to Mr. Borello, the decriminalization of cannabis will happen fairly quickly if Mr. Macron is elected, though he did not provide further details on the method or the outcome.

When it comes to public drug policy, he wants a more ambitious harm reduction policy. However, he has provided few details on how this would be achieved.

For Benoît Hamon and Catherine Lemorton

Catherine Lemorton is a member of the National Assembly representing Haute-Garonne and chair of the National Assembly’s Social Affairs Committee. A pharmacist by training, she knows the subject of cannabis inside and out. Her views are shared by Benoît Hamon.

Ms. Lemorton began by pointing out that a drug-free society does not exist, and that addictions can take many forms—not only to substances but also to situations.

According to him, the 1970 law that currently governs the ban on cannabis was a punitive law passed after May 1968, when cannabis was blamed for driving young people onto the barricades in Paris. It would be irresponsible to remain in this situation. In particular, we need to be able to address public health issues related to cannabis and discuss them openly—something that is currently impossible because of this law.

The Benoît Hamon's stance on cannabis The solution, therefore, is legalization—to curb the illicit sale of cannabis—along with regulation of cultivation and sales, and cannabis prevention efforts. The funds currently spent on law enforcement would be redirected toward prevention.

Ms. Lemorton emphasized the importance of creating a French model for cannabis, which has yet to be developed.

In an off-the-record interview with Farid Ghehiouèche, she explained that medical cannabis should be left to the pharmaceutical industry and expressed interest in Cannabis Social Clubs, provided there are controls on the quality and quantity of the products.

For François Fillon, Caroline Cayeux

Caroline Cayeux is a senator and mayor of Beauvais. We’re stepping a bit outside our usual reserve here, but we clearly had Nancy Reagan right in front of us (for more info, see here). She stepped in at the last minute to replace Bernard Debré, who was originally supposed to represent Mr. Fillon.

Ms. Cayeux reiterated the importance of the pprotection of the family, while emphasizing that «freedom is at the heart of François Fillon’s campaign.».

She drew an unlikely parallel between François Fillon’s stance against the decriminalization of cannabis and the 320 cannabis-related overdoses in 2016, as well as the use of harder drugs. According to Mr. Fillon’s representative, this position has been discussed with experts, doctors, and families. It is speculated that Mr. Debré is listening closely to the About Mr. Costentin.

In general, Ms. Cayeux explained that Mr. Fillon was in favor of a complete rejection of innovations in sexuality and drug use, and of increased health protection.

Nevertheless, she says she is ffavorable in a debate and at the opening of a national conference on the topic of cannabis.

For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Riva Gherchanoc

Ms. Riva Gherchanoc is the deputy mayor of Montreuil and works primarily on health issues in the city.

We'll keep this short because the review from Mr. Mélenchon on Cannabis is already well known and explained in his platform. Mr. Mélenchon is in favor of the lLegalization of cannabis, with regulations governing consumption and production, as well as controls on quality and quantity. The bThe proceeds will be reinvested in addiction prevention and treatment.

You can find the 20-Minute Debrief Here which also addresses the other topics covered during this comprehensive oral exam.