Teachers in Finistère call for legalization of cannabis

In Finistère, teachers deplore the presence of cannabis in high schools and believe that legalizing cannabis is necessary to effectively protect young people.

Cannabis in high schools

France is the leading European country in terms of early cannabis use: in the final year of high school, 54% of students report having already used cannabis, according to the latest survey. report from the Observatoire Français des Drogues et des Toxicomanies (OFDT).

According to this report, the use of cannabis in high school leads to a risk of dropping out of school and losing interest. What's more, the monopoly of the black market in the cannabis trade actually leads to increased delinquency. Indeed, the illegal status of cannabis pushes young users into criminal circles that have no regard for the possibility of addiction and the family and personal problems this can engender, as well as preventing dialogue with students and adults such as teachers, school doctors and, above all, parents.

Teachers in favor of legalization

Frustrated by their inability to help and protect their students, the FSU teachers' union has filed a complaint against the company. motion public calling for the legalization and regulation of cannabis. In their view, prohibition provides no effective defence against early use. By leaving the market in the hands of criminal organizations, products are easily accessible without age restrictions or quality control. Youn Le Roy, FSU trade unionist and activist, says: «Nurses aren't allowed to talk about it because it's not supposed to exist, and the same goes for principal education advisors. It's just catastrophic.»

By legalizing and regularizing the cannabis trade, the State could generate profits, which could then be channeled into prevention campaigns, as well as freeing up a large part of the work of the police, who waste a lot of time drawing up procedures that come to nothing: «The aim is to generate financial profits, through taxes but also by reducing the cost of repression. Nine out of ten cases are dropped! We expect better in terms of public health, and respect for the laws of the Republic».