Consumers, the priority target for law enforcement, to the detriment of trafficking

Initially intended to make police work easier, so that more time could be devoted to the fight against drug trafficking, the cannabis fine has been rolled out across France for the first time in just over a month.

An increase in consumer arrests

Contrary to the alleged purpose of the fine, the September 2020 figures show that police activity has focused more on drug users.

A total of 17,026 offences were recorded in September, compared with 10,396 in August. While the difference in value between the two months is impressive (+64%), drug use offences also increased in volume from August to September, from 80.19% to 83.59%, an increase of 3.75%.

The same is true when comparing September 2019 and September 2020: violations for use accounted for «only» 80.32% of ILS in September 2019.

As a direct consequence, the number and volume of offences recorded for trafficking and use/resale fell between September 2019 and September 2020, and in volume terms between August and September 2020. While Lapalisse would have agreed with us that the generalization of the fine has made it possible to impose fines, in this first month it nevertheless reinforces police pressure on consumers to the detriment of trafficking.

Fine summary

More than 6,000 fines were issued for drug use on the public highway in France in September 2020, according to the following figures Le Figaro press releases, That's 200 fines a day across France. Seine-Saint-Denis is the department with the most fines, with 678. Next come Bouches-du-Rhône with 494 fines, Nord (250), Val-de-Marne (198) and Paris with 192.

However, the conditions for issuing the fine remain unclear. The original criteria only stipulated possession or consumption on the public highway. Some departments, however, have saliva tests on car passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, and punished in the event of a positive test, a clear abuse of procedure.

Also, self-growers have been of a fine for their personal cultivation at home, again with some skepticism as to the legality of the procedure, as the offender was probably offered payment of the fine or prosecution for trafficking.

The final blur is that the quantity limits to which the fine applies depend both on the region and on the police force (police versus gendarmerie). Some police unions are calling for harmonization, which would be welcome in terms of equality of citizens before the law. The entry in the criminal record that goes with the fixed fine for drug use will not, however, be, valid only until July 1, 2021. Cannabis users can now registered for 10 years in the CA file.