CNCDH in favor of legalizing cannabis in France

The French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) believes that the rights of people who use drugs need to be reevaluated. The commission advocates for putting consumer rights back at the center of the debate.

The CNCDH Speaks Out

The CNCDH addresses all issues related to human rights. Following the opening of a safe consumption room—which sparked heated debate in the gloomy political landscape—these human rights advocates came together to put people at the center of the discussion.

The chair of this committee, Christine Lazerges, made a statement that we are not used to hearing in government circles:  «People who use drugs face multiple forms of discrimination, some of which are insidious. We urgently need to move beyond the binary framework that pits drug users against criminals or against the sick.»

Even more interestingly, the commission advocates for the decriminalization of cannabis and the reclassification of other «more addictive» narcotics as misdemeanors.  The report resulting from this consultative assembly reveals that nearly 2 billion euros of the state budget is allocated to the fight against drugs. To ease the burden on law enforcement and judicial authorities, the MILDECA called in August for the introduction of a fine of 300€ for the use of narcotics of any kind.

The CNDH is challenging the repressive 1970 law because it violates the right to personal liberty, which «implies the ability to make choices about one's own body and lifestyle». Criminalizing drug use would encourage users to shoot up «in unsanitary and isolated environments.».

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