Yesterday, Tuesday 24, the Economic and Social Council called for January to a supervised legalization of cannabis in France. This opinion concludes a year’s work.
The French Economic and Social Council (Conseil économique et social – Cese), a civil society consultative body whose members include associations and trade unions, has noted the“ineffectiveness” of French cannabis policies in terms of public health. For Jean-François Naton, member of the Cese and chairman of this temporary commission,“It’s time for a paradigm shift“.
For the sale of recreational cannabis, the Cese recommends setting up specialized establishments subject to licensing and training. These stores would be closed to minors, with identity checks on entry. Finally, the Cese wants to ban all advertising and promotion of recreational cannabis brands, specifying that“legalization must be backed up by a policy of education, prevention and control“.
“We have to know how to change our methods when we fail”.
Prof. Amine Benyamina
“It’s time to look at the limits of the current system. We don’t encourage cannabis consumption at all; it remains a drug to be fought. But at some point, you have to know how to change your methods when you’ve failed. “Professor and addictologist Amine Benyamina echoed the Cese’s recommendation on France Inter.
“Give us the opportunity to open this debate. Prohibition doesn’t work, let’s try something else. Everyone uses cannabis in France, but the problem is early and young use. It is a factor in poor educational, psychological and environmental prognosis. “continued the head of the psychiatry and alcoholology department at Paul Brousse Hospital, pointing out that “.Instead of attacking the sender, we protect the receiver, thereby limiting and cushioning the effects of cannabis use on the population. The Cese report concludes that repressive policies alone have failed miserably “.
“I see that repressive policies are on the rise”.
Prof. Amine Benyamina
Pointing out that ” the Cese doesn’t have much power “, Amine Benyamina remains skeptical about any changes to the legislative framework surrounding the consumption and sale of cannabis.“I’m like everyone else, when I see images of cannabis seizures by the Ministry of the Interior, I see that repressive policy has the wind in its sails,” concluded the addictologist.
In Uruguay, some twenty American states and Canada, recreational cannabis is now legal.
In Europe, Malta was the first country to end prohibition, while Germany is due to open its first dispensaries in early 2024.
In France, only a medical cannabis trial began in March 2021. Supposed to end in March 2023, in order to deliver its conclusions, it has been postponed for a year.
