Grenoble wants to put the question of cannabis legalization to MPs

Grenoble's public prosecutor, Jean Yves Coquillat, has declared that the city of Grenoble is «rotten and gangrened by drug trafficking«, following the recent shootings at Place Gre'net, an account gathered by Le Dauphiné.com.

He explains, describing the city's situation: «It's unpleasant, it's unpleasant, but it's unfortunately usual in this city. In all my career, I've never seen a city as rotten and gangrened by drug trafficking as Grenoble. There are distribution points almost everywhere.The sense of insecurity in these neighborhoods can be felt throughout the city if you pay attention.

The reaction of political parties

This announcement has prompted a variety of reactions from political parties. Grenoble's former mayor, Alain Carignon, a member of the French Republican party, advocated reinforcing the city's security with more armed municipal police officers and the creation of a video surveillance network.

Grenoble FN city councillor Mireille d'Ornano is concerned about the situation. «It is urgent to commit all necessary means to fight against this phenomenon, which is permanently enclosing our neighborhoods», she declared. She compared the city of Grenoble to a «little Marseilles», and also advocated arming Grenoble's police officers: «It's inconceivable at the present time not to want to arm the municipal police too».

The Rassemblement de Gauche, on the other hand, disagrees. Jérôme Safar, an opposition city councillor from Grenoble, points out that if drug trafficking exists, it's also because there are consumers. «We forget a little too often that when we talk about drug trafficking, we're talking about the economy. Demand is strong, and supply exists», he explained.

Legalizing cannabis to limit conflict

Legalizing cannabis to put an end to the black market is an argument that often comes up among proponents of legalization. This is what economics professor Christian Ben Lakhdar suggests in the magazine Marianne. In an editorial entitled « Why cannabis should be legalized in France », In his article, he explains some of the benefits: «Ridding police forces of virtually the entire illegal market would make them more effective in the fight against the residual black market and other criminal markets».

All the more so since, in Toulouse, local personalities reacted in an article a month ago to call for the legalization of cannabis, following a series of fatal shootings in a sensitive neighborhood.

Eric Piolle, Grenoble's mayor, had already suggested the idea in 2016 following a school shooting, calling for a debate on legalization. Elisa Martin, Grenoble's first deputy mayor in charge of public tranquility, said responded The legislative framework doesn't work, and prohibition creates disorder. So we're going to call on the MPs for a legislative response and raise the question of legalizing cannabis«. Reactions from the city's political parties are rather mixed, but pave the way for further negotiations in the autumn.

Mehdi Bautier