Jean-Luc Mélenchon in favor of legalizing cannabis

Left Front candidate Jean Luc Mélenchon recently confirmed that he is in favor of legalizing cannabis. 

Jean Luc Mélenchon has found a way to express himself freely without going through the traditional news channels. He now answers twittos via video. He is currently releasing a series of 48-minute videos called FAQ, including last week's episode in which he answered various questions from Internet users. In a stroke of editing magic, Jean Luc Mélenchon has even posted a video summarizing his views on the subject below.

Mélenchon is in favor of legalizing cannabis...

The declaration is solemn: »I'm against cannabis, that's why I'm in favor of legalizing it». Jean Luc Mélenchon is above all a defender of the health aspects of legalization. This was also the vision of Uruguayan President Pepe Mujica, who decided to legalize cannabis under a state monopoly.

His first argument concerns prevention campaigns. Cannabis is not legal in France, so no prevention campaign is possible. Cigarette packets, meanwhile, have been given new, ugly designs, and their price rises almost every year. As far as prevention is concerned, the French government currently provides «Consultations Jeunes Consommateurs» on a voluntary basis.

Second argument: drug trafficking feeds criminal markets. Mr. Mélenchon raises a sensitive point about the time devoted to the fight against cannabis by police officers and magistrates. According to the Terra Nova report published in 2014, spending on the fight against cannabis would reach 568 million euros per year.

Third argument: the explanation for his change of position in his final confession. With this little anecdote, he invites Internet users to ask themselves the same question, and to repeat it to those around them who are hostile to legalization.

with a few gaps

First of all, the subject is so vast that to cover it in 4 minutes is no easy task. But JLM deserves credit for tackling it. It's worth pointing out that the people who live next door are hypocrites, because they're also going to hook up downstairs, and that's bad...

Above all, we'd like to come back to the subject of prevention. What kind of prevention is needed for young consumers? How can we support people who are over-consuming? How can we limit THC levels in products? Will you allow self-cultivation? How will cannabis be distributed under your presidency? Who will manage the quality of distributed cannabis? What rights will the average consumer have?

Jean Luc Mélenchon does not address the economic and social aspects. He may already have them in mind, but he's not talking about them for the moment in any case. The Front de gauche candidate still has 5 months to back up his words with more details. Perhaps he's also waiting for the future canadian report on cannabis legalization due to arrive on December 21.

Jean Luc Mélenchon also claims to have changed his mind after reading articles about legalization systems abroad. A potential Newsweed reader? 🙂