The recommendations of Jeunes avec Macron for a «supervised legalization of cannabis».»

Two weeks after officially taking office position in favor of legalizing cannabis, "Jeunes avec Macron" (JAM) is unveiling its plan in detail. In a booklet published today,, the youth wing of La République en Marche advocates for a level playing field, where the «production and »Distribution must be subject to licensing.".

In contrast to the United States, the JAM wants French licenses to be « "granted subject to a majority vote and the absence of a criminal record (B2)". In their view, this measure will make it possible to «to ensure the integrity of the parties involved and keep criminal networks out of this new economic opportunity.». In the United States, people who have been directly affected by anti-drug laws—users and dealers—are often given priority when it comes to obtaining a license.

In the future legal market envisioned by young Macron supporters, the price of cannabis will be «very low at first" »years to dry up the black market". The goal will be to draw consumers to the legal market through competitive pricing, and then gradually raise prices as needed to control cannabis consumption.

The JAM, who were at the forefront of candidate Macron’s rallies in 2017, know that this is a (very) sensitive issue, especially within the presidential majority. «The goal is not to trivialize drugs, which should never be treated as just another consumer product,», written by Ambroise Méjean (Executive Director), Simon Pecnard (Deputy Executive Director), and Sacha Benhamou (Cannabis Policy Officer).

Their push for legalization is accompanied by a public health component. In the proposed system, the «Tax revenue generated by the sale of cannabis must be reinvested in school programs», which would incorporate cannabis prevention education from seventh grade through twelfth grade.

Legalize medical cannabis and CBD

The pro-Macron youth movement is also positioning itself to «Make medical cannabis widely available to all patients who need it». Since March 31, a A trial is currently underway involving 3,000 French patients. And the JAMs acknowledge that she has «has caused a great deal of frustration among the 300,000 patients who were not selected for the trial». This full-scale trial is expected to last two years. At the end of this period, the JAM hope to roll out this program nationwide. For them, «The suffering of the thousands of patients awaiting a solution must be taken into »It matters, especially when treatment is within reach".

Another goal of the report is to establish a French agricultural sector for cannabis. This proposal is in line with lobbying efforts by political and economic stakeholders in the Creuse department, but also Guadeloupe. The authors therefore believe that CBD should be officially authorized in France. To achieve this, it will be necessary to «bring into compliance with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (the 2020 «Kanavape» decision) ».

Positions identical to those of En Marche! lawmakers

«Regulated legalization», «prevention among young people,» «an opportunity for French agriculture»… The JAM’s recommendations sound familiar. And for good reason: they are in line with those of the members of the National Assembly’s fact-finding mission (MI).

Last week, Caroline Janvier, a member of the National Assembly (La République En Marche) offered a «regulated legalization». It comes as no surprise, in fact, that the three authors interviewed several members of parliament from this same constituency: Caroline Janvier, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, Ludovic Mendès, Sylvie Charrière… all of whom are members of the president’s party.

The three authors also thank other figures at the end of the eleven-page recommendation. Among them are addiction specialist Amine Benyamina, sociologist Mathieu Zagrodzki, community organizer Bertrand Rambaud, and researchers Edouard Hesse and Kevin Brookes… What do all these people have in common? They are all in favor of legalization. Amine Benyamina has signed a report of Génération Libre in 2018, then Edouard Hesse and Kevin Brookes in 2021 for this same discussion group. Mathieu Zagdrozki noted the failure of criminal justice policy for Terra Nova, Bertrand Rambaud advocates for the legalization of medical cannabis...

The JAM will face a tougher challenge within their party, which includes some fiercely hostile politicians. Among them: Prime Minister Jean Castex. Another opponent: Gérald Darmanin. The Minister of the Interior has has been described on several occasions as «Shit» cannabis. More recently, he told the Sunday Journal that the substance has become a «hard drug», due to the increase in THC levels in recent years.