Contraventionnalisation du cannabis en France: une amende de 250 à 600€ prévue

It was through a seemingly innocuous tweet by Virginie Gautron, an associate professor at the University of Nantes, that news of the criminalization of drug use—including cannabis—was made public, as she shared the draft bill unveiled by NextInpact.

https://twitter.com/VGautron/status/973629607013478400

The document containing the new provisions is, in fact, the draft 2018–2022 Justice Planning Bill, unveiled on March 9 by Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet. While we cannot confirm that there was an attempt to conceal the progress of the government’s deliberations, similar to the parliamentary committee hearings Since these decisions had been made in complete secrecy, communication regarding the upcoming fine is being handled with «restraint.».

On page 41 of this report, we learn that the’Article L. 3421-1, which penalizes the unlawful use of narcotics, shall be supplemented by the following paragraph:

«For the offense described in the first paragraph, including in cases of repeat offenses, criminal proceedings may be terminated under the conditions set forth in Articles 495-17 and following sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure, by paying a fixed fine of €300. The reduced fixed fine is €250, and the increased fixed fine is €600.»

In other words, any observed illegal use of narcotics, even in the case of a repeat offense, may be punishable by a fine of 300€, reduced to 250€ if paid promptly (within 3 days if the citation was delivered in person, 15 days if sent by mail). This provision for classification as a misdemeanor does not preclude legal proceedings or prison sentences.

Did you say "double punishment"?