Ugo Pezzetta (LR): «Cannabis users must be punished».»

Ugo Pezzetta (Les Républicains tendance Droite constructif), mayor of La Ferté sous Jouarre, expressed his gratitude to his agglomeration community. proposed severe penalization of cannabis users, with a very harsh vocabulary (from 0’35 to 2’22 below).

«Eradicating this problem»

In his small town of 10,000 inhabitants, Mr. Pezetta sees an ever-increasing number of drug dealers and traffickers. In his view, if the State fails to «eradicate this problem» (Rodrigo Duterte He himself admits that every time an oven is «taken», the space is taken over by other vendors «in 2 days».

However, Ugo Pezetta mentions two possibilities:

• the legalization of cannabis, in which he does not believe, being an «escalation that will continue» and an «admission of weakness» on the part of the state and the country
• heavy penalties for consumers, who must be punished in the same way as drug dealers, so that «everyone takes responsibility».»

A snake biting its own tail

Mr. Pezzetta makes the same observation as everyone else: the current cannabis situation in France isn't working. But his speech raises many questions.

The current lack of will and resources, which he denounces, nonetheless enabled 144,000 drug users to be arrested in 2016 for simple drug use, i.e. 1 arrest every 3 minutes and 39 seconds according to NORML France figures. Will the addition of a heavy fine for the consumer help curb trafficking and consumption?

Isn't it an admission of weakness to burden consumers with a public policy that doesn't work, rather than providing them with a regulatory framework that would have the dual mission of proposing a legal access route for consumers and places of consumption to avoid the «degradations», «riffraff» and other «delinquents» that Mr. Pezzetta refers to? Are Canada and California weak states?

The French mayors most familiar with the problem (Sevran, Grenoble, Marseille) are calling for legalization, as do 52% of the French. Are they weak?

If the consumer has to take responsibility, shouldn't we then legalize self-cultivation so as to stop funding the terrorist enterprises mentioned by Mr Pezzetta?

Nevertheless, Ugo Pezzetta wishes his constituents good health, happiness, serenity, calm and love. The exact opposite of his desire to eradicate.