Medical cannabis in France: when the regions get involved

While the French government has so far maintained a firm stance against the legalization of cannabis, this is not always the case for regions, departments, and municipalities, which have often proposed it as a way to revitalize rural areas or experiment with alternative social policies.

From cities and counties to regions

Some French local officials have already proposed that their department or municipality host pilot projects on cannabis cultivation and regulation. In the Orne department, the issue had been raised by Joaquim Pueyo, a New Left lawmaker who lamented that young users’ future prospects were being undermined by a criminal record related to cannabis. In Grenoble, the proposal for experimental legalization at the local level had already come from Jérôme Safar, then president of the Rassemblement de Gauche group, as well as from Eric Piolle, the city’s current mayor.

Other municipalities viewed cannabis cultivation as a boost to the local economy and an alternative source of income for farmers. In Laas, in the Centre-Val de Loire region, Mayor Jacques Pédéhontaa had asked Macron to allow farmers in his municipality to grow cannabis to alleviate their suffering (The suicide rate in the municipality is 20% higher than the national average). The case that received the most media attention was undoubtedly that of Creuse, where Socialist Party (PS) Representative Eric Correia proposed experimenting with cannabis cultivation in his department in response to the President’s call to «find solutions, including extralegal ones, to revitalize Creuse.».

New Aquitaine

Today, political mobilization around cannabis is taking shape at the regional level. In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, during the regional council’s plenary session on Monday and Tuesday, representatives from the Socialist Party (PS), the environmentalist and citizen group EELV, the Generation.s group, and the Radical Left group introduced a motion calling for the legalization of medical cannabis in France.

The motion proposes the establishment of a French medical cannabis industry that brings together the various related sectors and promotes agriculture, research, innovation, the energy transition, and health. The document notes that many countries have already opted for legalization, which, in addition to addressing patients’ rights, also brings significant benefits in terms of economic growth, jobs, and agricultural development. On this point, the region reaffirms its support for the Specific Plan for Creuse, which is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and was presented by Correia.

The motion highlights patients’ right to access alternative medicine in the face of the harmful effects of traditional pharmaceuticals (in this case, specifically opioids). It notes, in this context, that many patients already self-medicate with cannabis and that the government is, in a sense, failing in its duty by not regulating the drug for the sake of patients’ health and safety. It also points out the Health Minister's remarks, Agnès Buzyn, who had raised high hopes that a debate on medical cannabis would finally begin in France. A committee of experts was finally assembled by the National Agency for Health and Medicines to discuss the issue.

With Zamal, Zamal is nowhere to be found

Dominique Rivière, the representative for Réunion on the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council in Paris, launched a petition in June of this year to launch a debate on the legalization and establishment of a medical cannabis industry on Réunion Island. He points out that many countries around the world have already established medical cannabis production and that the League of Human Rights has come out in favor of it in light of the failure of prohibitionist policies. «The plant, which is considered resistant to climatic hazards (cyclones), is well acclimated to Réunion, where its use—whether medicinal or not—has a long history under the name of Zamal »he adds.”.

FOR OR AGAINST A CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN REUNION: LET'S OPEN THE DEBATE!
Sign the petition https://t.co/aXXgpdvVD1 via @ChangeFrance

— Dominique RIVIERE (@driviere974) May 31, 2018

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In the West Indies and the Caribbean, cannabis use and production are widespread, although illegal. While Caribbean countries have expressed a desire to legalize cannabis, the West Indies remain under French control. In Martinique, Senator Catherine Conconne of Martinique even defended it passionately the fixed-amount fine for cannabis users.