Mission d'Information recommends legalizing cannabis

The fact-finding mission on the regulation and impact of different uses of cannabis, The commission, chaired by Robin Reda and with Jean-Baptiste Moreau as general rapporteur, today adopted the thematic report by Caroline Janvier on so-called «recreational» cannabis.

Observing the’failure of repressive policy The report, based on 50 years of research in terms of both security and public health, and noting the evolution of public opinion, advocates for the regulated legalization of cannabis and proposes launching a major national debate on the subject.

During the press conference for the report's release, which took place this afternoon at the National Assembly, Robin Reda congratulated the Information Mission's collective work, which brought together the main political sensitivities. For him, the stakes in the fight against cannabis can be summarized by the fact that there have «never been as many cannabis traffickers as in Emmanuel Macron's France.».

The report, presented by Caroline Janvier and available online, First, it evaluates French drug policy, and cannabis policy in particular. The conclusion of failure is made at various levels, whether in terms of public health, high prevalence of consumption among young people, or ineffective repression despite a massive public response. Foreign experiences have shown that other models are possible and achieve better health and safety objectives, for example, by redirecting law enforcement towards trafficking rather than consumers. The report finally explores different avenues for cannabis regulation in France, without making specific recommendations, but calling for a broad national debate on the subject.

Questioned by a journalist present on his morning tweet, ..., who stated that «the situation in France does not allow for the legalization of cannabis,» Robin Reda declared that he is personally not in favor of immediate regulation. He asks to better understand the drivers of cannabis consumption in France, which could be one of the points of the requested debate. The elected official also specified that the timing would not be conducive to legalizing cannabis due to the upcoming elections, the health situation related to Covid, and the current discourse of the executive branch on cannabis.

The members of the fact-finding mission added that their work was not finished and they intend to move forward with the CBD file, which has so far been blocked on the overhaul of the 1990 decree, and participate in the potential debate on adult-use cannabis.