Samuel Etienne President? His first shock measure on cannabis

A media personality well known to the French, Samuel Etienne recently created a surprise (or not) by unveiling the very first measure he would take if elected President of the Republic. Far from the subjects usually associated with his career, his proposal concerns a major societal reform: drug policy.

The «decriminalization» of cannabis: an unexpected presidential proposal

Questioned by Constance Vilanova on Webedia's Popcorn program, Samuel Etienne put forward a proposal that immediately attracted attention. Immediately accused of demagoguery by his interviewer, the journalist had to defend his idea by developing a structured argument.

His initial proposal, however, is straightforward and can be summed up in three words: «Decriminalization of cannabis.»

Not just a slogan, Samuel Etienne develops a structured vision based on three main pillars: optimizing state resources, creating a controlled economic model and drawing inspiration from a foreign model:

• Reallocation of police and judicial resources : The first argument is security and budgetary. In his view, the current situation mobilizes manpower and funds in an inefficient manner, believing that there are «too many police and judicial resources devoted to the issue». The logical consequence of his reform would be to be able to reallocate these resources to missions deemed to have higher priority.
  • Creation of a state economic model: At the heart of his project is the creation of a «state-run agency to control and supervise the cannabis trade». This public monopoly would aim to achieve two major objectives: Public health : The aim would be to guarantee that «the product you give the consumer is quality», putting an end to the dangers of the black market.
  • Tax benefits : The state would levy «a small tax on it», transforming the trade into a new source of revenue that, in his words, «reduces the budget deficit».
• The German example as a model: To legitimize his approach, he relies on the experiment carried out by «Our German neighbors». By citing this example, he places his proposal within a European trend, presenting it as a reasonable evolution rather than a radical break with the past.