François Fillon, Alain Juppé and cannabis

The 1st round of the Les Républicains party primaries took place yesterday, with François Fillon and Alain Juppé clearly ahead of the other 5 candidates, with 44.2% and 28.5% of the vote respectively. Following our feature on the opinions of each right-wing candidate on cannabis, We wanted to remind you of François Fillon's and Alain Juppé's views on cannabis.

François Fillon and cannabis

Overall, François Fillon's program takes a very hard line. With no half-measures, his economic program is very liberal and reminiscent of the Chachester years: reduction of public spending, austerity, elimination of the number of civil servants, end of the 35-hour working week, retirement at 65, etc...

On the diplomatic front, he intends to warm relations with Russia, in particular to resolve the conflict in Syria, and come to the aid of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In terms of values, he is very close to the «Sens commun» movement, the legacy of the Manif pour tous, and to rigorist Catholic values. Although he doesn't want to go back on same-sex marriage, he has a very clear-cut vision of the rights reserved for LGBT couples, particularly adoption, which he wants to reserve for heterosexual couples.

What about the pill? Fillon is against decriminalization. For him, «the policy pursued in France is not necessarily the best, but that pursued in other countries which have decriminalized cannabis is not having the results it is being given. In the Netherlands, the issue is the subject of debate. We can't say that where it's been decriminalized, there are fewer consumers.»

And indeed, in the Netherlands, the question is being debated. But for legalization, especially with a bill tabled in Parliament and supported by a majority of MPs, to finally regulate the cultivation of cannabis, which is currently banned both industrially and for the recreational industry. Mr. Fillon is also wrong when he says that «it cannot be said that where it is decriminalized, there are fewer consumers». All European countries that have decriminalized have lower rates of consumption.

However close he may be to Russia, which has decriminalized cannabis cultivation up to 20 plants and authorizes possession of up to 6g of cannabis, Mr. Fillon takes a very Nixonian view of cannabis. No pestle for Fillon, then.

Alain Juppé and cannabis

Is Alain Juppé for tarpé? No more, but with a softer line and an example of a policy to reduce the risks associated with drug use in his home town of Bordeaux.

The man who is often compared to Bernie Sanders, rather because of his age than his political program, is against decriminalization, but proposes in his program «a fine of a hundred euros, payable on the spot, with information for the family” for cannabis consumers. This sounds like a contraventionnalisation, and is therefore a de facto decriminalization. Mr Juppé might need to revise the difference between decriminalization and legalization of cannabis, and its variants.

On the harm reduction front, Bordeaux is to host a "salle de consommation à moindre risque" (SCMR) offering a safe, clean and supervised environment for long-term drug users, who come to inject their drugs under the supervision of authorized and trained staff. Among other things, these SCMRs help prevent overdoses and the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, and provide access to care for a segment of the drug-addicted population that often refuses to be treated.

It's also worth noting that Alain Juppé spent two years teaching in Quebec, a Canadian state he is particularly fond of, between 2004 and 2006. The legalizing cannabis in Canada could he give her some ideas?

As for the rest of his program, Juppé wants to put employment back at the forefront of government action, with an end to the 35-hour working week, an open-ended contract with easier conditions for both employees and employers, savings on the State budget, more aid for families, degressive unemployment benefits, etc...

No madness, then, but a softer political line and a more human character. Will France choose him to represent the Les Républicains party in the 2017 presidential elections? Result next Sunday.

To find out more : Cannabis and the 2017 presidential candidates