Conference on July 6 in Paris: What cannabis policy in France #EnMarche?

The Day After, a bipartisan think tank, is organizing a conference on July 6 on the topic: «What cannabis policy for France under »En Marche!’?”.

Last month, the French government announced its intention to decriminalize cannabis. In fact, during an appearance on RMC, Interior Minister Gérard Collomb mentioned the introduction of fines in 3 to 4 months with the aim of reducing the backlog in the courts and easing the workload on police officers. In addition, Christophe Castaner later spoke about France Info and explains that a fine of about 100 euros would be imposed for use and possession under Emmanuel Macron’s plan. He also states that «enforcement measures would be taken if the person fails to pay their fines.».

Will this move to make it a misdemeanor change the conversation about cannabis in France, on its consumers, and on the black market? Will it lead to decriminalization or, on the contrary, to tougher measures? That is the focus of this conference. The event will be held at Le Square, 3 Passage de Saint-Pierre-Amelot, in Paris’s 11th arrondissement.

Among those in attendance will be Aurélien Bernard, founder and head of Newsweed, as well as Romain Perez, economist and coordinator of Le Jour d’Après. He has worked for Terra Nova, an independent think tank that, among other things, conducted a study in 2014 on the Various Scenarios for Potential Legalization in France, and more recently, a comparison between the cannabis market and the online gaming industry, legalized under the supervision of ARJEL.

The following dignitaries will also be in attendance: Esther Benbassa, Director of Studies at the École pratique des hautes études at the Sorbonne and Senator from Val-de-Marne, Philippe Capon, Secretary General of UNSA-Police, Jean-Pierre Couteron President of the Addiction Federation,  Benjamin Jeanroy, Co-founder of the citizen advocacy group ECHO, and lead on the topic of public drug policy, and finally  Danièle Jourdain-Menninger, former chair of the Interministerial Mission to Combat Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (Mildeca).

The Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/236120300218267/
Free registration: https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/billets-quelle-politique-du-cannabis-dans-la-france-enmarche-35207725254

Mehdi Bautier