Like Bègles, Strasbourg plans to experiment with legalized cannabis

In the wake of Germany's legalization of cannabis, Strasbourg mayor Jeanne Barseghian has proposed a «pragmatic local experiment» with cannabis consumption in Strasbourg, citing the limits of France's «very repressive» policy and the unsatisfactory public health results associated with it.

A call for local experimentation

The Mayor of Strasbourg's proposal is motivated by a desire to confront reality and explore new approaches. Strasbourg's unique position as a cross-border city bordering Germany, where cannabis is now legal under strict regulations, effectively creates a shared living area with thousands of people crossing the Rhine every day, which calls for a realistic approach to regulation.

Not everyone in Strasbourg's local government is on the same wavelength. Josiane Chevalier, prefect of the Grand Est region, is opposed to the idea of local experimentation, claiming that such decisions fall within national competence. Despite the mayor's openness to experimentation, the state representative maintains that local tests are not feasible and must be decided at national level.

Solutions do exist, however, such as legislative experimentation. which we wrote about back in 2018 while Orne, Creuse and Grenoble have announced their intention to test legalization. Visit city of Bègles has more recently has announced its intention to experiment locally with the legalization of cannabis, like the pilot tests in Switzerland, and is due to give a talk on the subject on April 10.

On April 1, Germany legalized #cannabis, after Switzerland last January. On April 10, we will be presenting our request for an experiment in supervised legalization of cannabis consumption in the Netherlands. @Villedebegles #begles #SantePublique pic.twitter.com/HFrnbfJMwA

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- Clément Rossignol Puech (@clemrossignol) April 1, 2024

Public health and law enforcement

The debate in Strasbourg also spills over into broader issues of public health and law enforcement. While France has opted for strict measures to combat drug use, the effectiveness of this approach is increasingly being called into question, due to the high rates of cannabis consumption in France despite strict laws, and the numerous settlements of accounts inherent in trafficking.

For the future, Mayor Jeanne Barseghian expresses the need for an open dialogue with the French government and health agencies to explore the real possibilities of experimental measures around a local test of cannabis legalization or even legalization at national level.