Paris soon to be a test town for cannabis legalization?

The issue of legalizing recreational cannabis in France will be discussed on July 8, 9, 10 and 11, 2019 at the Paris Council. The measure was proposed by Radicaux de Gauche Centre group et Indépendants (RGCI), whose President, Laurence Goldgrab, would like to make Paris «a territory for experimenting with the legalization of recreational cannabis for adults, while ensuring its strict supervision», according to comments reported in Le Parisien. However, given France's recent stance on this issue, it would be surprising if Goldbrag's initiative were to be accepted.

At a time when the issue of legalization is coming back to the forefront of the debate, possessing cannabis in France, even in very small quantities, is a very real possibility, remains a crime punishable by one year's imprisonment and/or a 3,750-euro fine. Last week, a number of MPs tabled a bill for the «regulated legalization of cannabis through the establishment of a public production and distribution monopoly», which will probably never be examined.

However, according to the Conseil d'analyse économique, reasons to legalize recreational cannabis are not lacking. In particular, it would help reduce crime linked to illegality, as well as finding a viable alternative to repression, which obviously doesn't prevent consumption, given that France is one of Europe's leading cannabis consumers. During the debates on legalization, Bouches-du-Rhône MP François Michel Lambert (Libertés et territoires group) said that «France needs to get away from its repressive, hypocritical and moral postures and debate the issue with serenity and determination», accusing the French of taking too conservative a stance on the subject for his liking.

While the RGCI initiative will once again provide an opportunity to review pro-legalization arguments, the outcome is clear: the government has de facto the last word, and their position on the issue is well known.