The Socialist Party still doesn't know how to approach the legalization of cannabis

«Cannabis—would you legalize it?» The question posed to Olivier Faure on Wednesday, September 16, on BFMTV had the merit of being simple. The response from the First Secretary of the Socialist Party was… not quite so simple.

«I think this is a question that needs to be asked today,» replied the Socialist primary candidate, noting that millions of French people use cannabis, but he doesn’t—well, he did once when he was 15, and never again after that.

The issue of legalization, however, has been on the table for a long time, including within the Socialist Party.

The Socialist Party wants to focus on debating legalization

The Socialist Platform adopted by party members in 2026 does not, contrary to what its wording might sometimes suggest, propose legalizing cannabis.

He plans to launch a «citizens» convention on drug use and the legalization of cannabis.« The text goes on to state that »legalization must go hand in hand with strict government oversight of cannabis production and distribution” as well as strengthened addiction prevention efforts.

The Socialist Party’s analysis, however, is already quite advanced. In its proposal, the party argues that it is necessary to «overhaul our drug policy to cut off the profits of organized crime» and notes that the criminalization of cannabis enriches drug trafficking networks without allowing the government to focus its resources on the most dangerous forms of trafficking.

In other words, the Socialist Party itself identifies several of the arguments traditionally put forward in favor of regulation: the size of the existing market, the revenue it generates for criminal organizations, and the limitations of a law enforcement-based response.

But when it comes time to make a decision, the party proposes… a citizens’ convention.

Olivier Faure's response, who is no stranger to the subject, ... is therefore not an off-the-cuff remark. It reflects fairly accurately the line taken in the Socialist Party’s platform: legalization is now credible enough to be considered and even outlined in broad terms, but not yet fully embraced to become a full-fledged political proposal.

An issue that has already been thoroughly examined

The idea of organizing a new national debate might be understandable if the legalization of cannabis were still largely uncharted political territory. That is hardly the case.

France has been debating the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis for years. Experiences in other countries now offer a wide range of regulatory models, while health, economic, law enforcement, and judicial arguments have been the subject of extensive research. Above all, the Socialist Party doesn’t even need to look very far to find a concrete proposal.

On November 20, 2025, Senator Gilbert-Luc Devinaz and 46 of his colleagues introduced a proposed law «authorizing the legalization of recreational cannabis use and regulating its production and sale.» A large number of the signatories belong to the Socialist, Ecologist, and Republican group.

Production, manufacturing, transportation, possession, and sale: the proposal establishes a legal framework for the entire supply chain. It also provides for a transitional period, the immediate decriminalization of possession of less than 25 grams, and the full implementation of the new system on January 1, 2030.

Gilbert-Luc Devinaz and several of his colleagues had also already submitted to the Senate, in May 2023, a bill regarding the legalization of recreational use and the regulation of the production and sale of cannabis.

Thus, even within the Socialist Party itself, there are lawmakers who no longer question whether legalization is worth discussing: they are already proposing legislation to implement it.

How many more times do we have to ask this question?

The Socialist Party’s problem with cannabis therefore seems to be less one of diagnosis than of its political implementation. Its proposal acknowledges the limitations of criminalization. It explicitly considers legalization. It even outlines the principles of a state-regulated market. Dozens of Socialist senators have signed a legislative proposal that would put this legalization into practice.

However, at the national level, the party continues to defer the decision to a new round of debate, this time in the form of a citizens’ convention.

Citizens’ assemblies can certainly be useful when it comes to shedding light on complex trade-offs or fostering collective deliberation. But in the case of cannabis, the proposal also allows the Socialist Party to avoid immediately answering a much simpler question: Is it in favor of legalizing and regulating cannabis in France, or not?

Today, Olivier Faure prefers to respond by saying that the question still needs to be asked.