Creuse, Orne, Grenoble: are cannabis legalization tests possible in France?

The debate over cannabis in France continues. Some recent comments have come from institutions one might not necessarily expect: cities and departments.

The Orne Yesterday

In the Orne department, the issue was asked to Joaquim Pueyo, a New Left member of the National Assembly representing the 1st constituency of Orne, during a citizens’ advisory council meeting, focusing on the integration of young people into the workforce.

«I think it would be interesting for the Orne to serve as a pilot department for the cannabis legalization. ». It’s a shame to see young people starting their adult lives with a criminal record,” said one of the attendees.

According to the lawmaker, «This isn’t a silly question. I’ve never been a smoker, but I’m still open to this issue. France has 11 million regular users, even though its laws are very strict. A repressive approach doesn’t work. That said, I’m in favor of prevention—of preventing the consequences. I’m putting forward this proposal, which may seem provocative. It isn’t.»

Dig deeper

Eric Correia (PS), president of the Guéret Community of Municipalities in Creuse, proposed that his department become a pilot department for the production of Cannabis for therapeutic use. This project was a response to Emmanuel Macron’s call to find solutions to revitalize the Creuse region, including «innovative proposals, even those outside the law.».

«We know that cannabis has great benefits» for certain patients, explains Eric Correia. «Let’s put an end to this hypocrisy! (…). I’m not talking about morality here; I’m talking about public health,» he said. on Nova.

On a personal level, Eric Correia has also expressed support for the full legalization of cannabis, echoing a point made in the Benoît Hamon's platform.

Grenoble and experimentation

In Grenoble, this proposal is nothing new. Jérôme Safar, who was then president of the Rassemblement de gauche et de progrès group, proposed already last year to make Grenoble a pilot region for cannabis legalization, joining the opinion of the public prosecutor of Grenoble : «You can’t respond to everything with repression. That’s not appropriate for a phenomenon of this magnitude. It’s like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon,» the prosecutor explained, adding that «the response to such a phenomenon cannot be solely police or judicial, but must also be political and societal.».

Eric Piolle, the current mayor of Grenoble, has also been advocating this idea, even as recently as... on the show *Les Grandes Gueules* from RMC. His city is «plagued» by drug trafficking, and the crackdown that has been in place for 30 years has clearly shown its limitations.

French Walls

Still, for now, all these discussions are running into two obstacles:

• a clear reluctance on the part of the government to make progress on this issue and to limit itself to a fines for cannabis users caught committing an offense on a public road—a step backward from the current situation
• French law, which provides for exemptions from production or possession restrictions for research purposes, under the supervision of the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety. The latter does not appear to be the strongest advocate for cannabis, as she has demonstrated with CBD e-liquids.

Another possibility, as reported by Béchir According to NORML France, this would draw on the legislative pilot program that, since 2003 (and in practice since 2007), has allowed local authorities to test public policies by providing a framework for their duration and the provisions from which they would deviate. For example, it has been used to test the RSA. The French government also has the option of implementing a regulatory experiment, as it did in 1975 with regard to abortion.

We will therefore simply note that that both public opinion and local policymakers are ahead of the French government on this issue, and French law seems open to these cannabis legalization trials in France. What more does it take for the government to hear this growing outcry?