Terra Nova suggests «reasoned legalization» of cannabis to «dry up trafficking».»

In a study published on Friday, October 9, the Terra Nova think tank examines the police and penal strategy surrounding the cannabis in France. While the failure has been noted and acknowledged by the general public, solutions to overcome the status quo diverge. In the face of police difficulties, notably the deterioration in relations between the police and the public, and the half-century-old ineffectiveness of a repressive policy, Terra Nova advocates a «reasoned legalization» of cannabis.

«In this case, the police and the judiciary are solving neither the security problem nor the health problem associated with the sale of narcotics. They fail to respond to social demand in this area, exhaust themselves with cases that make little sense, and carry out actions that have little lasting effect, at the cost of considerable resources,» explains Mathieu Zagrodzki, author of the book. report.

In order to dismantle increasingly sophisticated networks, Mathieu Zagrodzki suggests «A change of direction»: «Legalization is not a miracle solution, but simply a more pragmatic approach to tackling the problem in the long term».

For Terra Nova, legalization would make it possible to combat cannabis consumption while ensuring that the public authorities have a presence in the control and management of cannabis in France. The think tank advocates the creation of a regulatory authority whose role would no longer be that of systematic repression, but rather that of reducing consumption and controlling the risks associated with use.

A voice for law enforcement

The report also gives a voice to the forces of law and order, who, while not in the majority in favor of legalization, note in part the failure of their day-to-day work on drugs, sometimes motivated by the politics of numbers.

«I'm very much against narcotics, I have no tolerance, even though I can tell the difference between a shisha and large quantities. I was in favor of systematic tracking. But it takes a hell of a lot of time, and it led to a simplified ticket, where you do the stop and the hearing at the same time for less than a certain quantity of drugs (...) For less than 10 grams, there's no point in going any further, because there's too much procedure. The guy's going to get out before I've finished typing up the procedure,» says one peacekeeper.

For a member of the BAC in a Paris arrondissement, «we're sometimes obliged to bring in small consumers, but it's for the numbers, the boss asks us to. It's not rewarding, it doesn't interest me, everyone has it these days. The brigade commander tells us «it's the major who's asking us that», the major says «it's the big boss who's asking that». (...) It's not my job as a packer, we're looking for bigger things. The ATV brigade makes a lot of consumers, but that too is to keep their stats in check.»

«We need to change the approach, which is dogmatic, caricatured and political. We say «it's illegal, so we have to punish it», we don't think things through. Among consumers and retailers, there are few people who are fundamentally bad or dangerous. They're people who've fallen into trafficking by opportunity, reflecting social misery. Few rich people traffic,» confides a police officer attached to the drug squad of a major French metropolis in the report.

Terra Nova's 4th report

This report, entitled «Cannabis : pour une autre stratégie policière et pénale» ("Cannabis : for another police and penal strategy"), follows on from three other reports on the subject.

The first, frequently cited for its figure on the annual cost of cannabis enforcement in France, examined the possibility of regulating a legal market rather than repressing widespread use and allowing an underground economy to flourish. In particular, it emphasized that legalizing the production, sale and use of cannabis would make it possible to control prices, usage levels and the quality of products in circulation, and would free up resources for a genuine prevention policy.

The second recommended regulate cannabis like online gambling, with a central authority.

Finally, a third study highlighted the evolution of opinion on these issues, notably a high percentage (82%) of the French population in favour of legalizing medical cannabis and 51% in favor of legalizing cannabis.