Gaspard Koenig: «Legalize fully to regulate rigorously».»

Gaspard Koenig, president of the think tank «Génération Libre,» explains in its latest report Why and how to legalize cannabis in France.

State Monopoly or Market Regulation

After a brief overview of the current situation regarding cannabis (risks and existing legal frameworks), the report, partly funded through crowdfunding, presents two visions for the legalization of cannabis in France: the one advocated by Gaspard Koenig—namely, a free market—and the one long supported by Francis Caballero—a state monopoly.

The fundamental differences between these two cannabis legalization models depend on the parties involved in regulation and its procedures.

Caballero’s state monopoly has given rise to a «French cannabis company,» the sole producer and distributor of outdoor-grown cannabis. State licenses would be granted to producers and stores, which would be divided into «cannaboutiques» and «cannabistrots» (where on-site consumption is permitted), separate from establishments selling alcohol and tobacco, and limited in number in the same way as pharmacies (X stores per Y residents). As for personal cultivation, Caballero’s “French Cannabis Company” has not yet decided between “a total ban [and] the registration of a few plants, with or without the payment of a fee.”.

For Koenig, the cannabis market must, of course, be regulated but can be left to the private sector. Industry players will also be able to enter the market by obtaining a license for their business, with the need to allow individuals who have previously been convicted of cannabis-related offenses to enter the market if we want to give black-market operators a chance to transition to the legal side. Koenig emphasizes the importance of letting the market decide which products will be sold, subject to health regulations established by the government.

Scope of the Report

It remains to be seen what impact a report on a topic that struggles to find an attentive audience will have. The arguments and projections put forward by Caballero and Koenig are certainly interesting, but without being truly innovative, they struggle to carry weight in a debate that does not exist.

The most important point in the report is probably the need to adapt existing legalization models to the French context. As for the rest, it’s just another report—a drop in the ocean of French prohibition.