MP François-Michel Lambert has never smoked a joint in his life. But that didn’t stop him from brandishing one at the Assemblée Nationale in support of cannabis legalization. We bumped into him at the Cannaparade, where he gave us his 06 and arranged an interview.
Paris, Saturday May 29, Place de la République. I’m late for the 2021 Cannaparade, which is already well on its way to Place de la Bastille. I’m aware of the situation and run off to find myself 500 meters further on, in the midst of a large, dense crowd. On a sunny afternoon, pretty girls, young people with smiling faces, 40-somethings and an 18-piece brass band had come to demand the liberation of the grass.
We’re a long way from the meagre 40 lost dog punks mentioned in the Parisien article. At the head of the procession, I spot a familiar silhouette. Tall, straight-laced, with a white shirt and unbuttoned navy-blue jacket, he’s François Michel Lambert (Libertés et Territoires), an ecologist MP from the Bouches du Rhône region. Next to him, another fervent supporter of cannabis legalization: LFI deputy Eric Coquerel. Two days earlier, we had interviewed the green rebel. I thought the two would make a good pair. Arriving in front of the Opéra Bastille, I accost the Bucco-Rhodanian MP and ask him for a selfie and his phone number. We hit it off straight away and arrange to meet a week later for an interview.
How do you view the policy pursued since 1970 on the issue of cannabis?
When, in 2000, I demonstrated with Jean-Luc Bennahmias (then Secretary General of the
Verts, editor’s note) in favor of the legalization of cannabis, the debate was placed on a societal level, and had been since 1970. Like the fight for abortion rights or against homophobia, it was about defending individual freedoms. In fact, like homosexuals, cannabis users had long been regarded as deviants and outsiders. After 2000, the market exploded, trafficking passed into the hands of much more organized criminal networks, and young people began to be heavily affected. In just a few years, we’ve gone from a libertarian, baba-cool debate to a health and mafia problem.
Is it for public health reasons that the executive doesn’t want to hear about legalization?
And not only that. In my opinion, and even if it’s not explicitly stated, there’s a notion of values that the Ministers of the Interior and Justice don’t want to give in on. They have turned these values into political and moral postures, to the point of making them sticking points. I’ve spoken with them and I can tell you that they don’t want to hear about cannabis, because it’s not their world. Deep down, they’re stuck in a certain very 70s France, very Manichean: drugs are shit, it’s a youth thing, it’s a fringe thing, we’ve got to protect the good people… My deep conviction is that they’re against legalization for personal reasons even more than political ones. For them, it’s the last dam not to be crossed, the last symbol of a certain morality, of a slightly nostalgic world where drug dealers were still invisible…
The security argument is also put forward…
If we’re talking about security, we have to start by understanding that the current policy is a disaster. We’re talking about a million police hours allocated to the fight against cannabis, human tragedies and money burnt for no results. When we close down one deal point, ten others open up
in the days that follow. From a health point of view, it’s also a disaster, since the consumer ends up with a contraband product, often cut or adulterated. In addition, prohibition costs the state 1 billion euros a year, with a third of all prisoners incarcerated for cannabis-related offences.
Do you think the Big Pharma, alcohol and tobacco lobby has any influence?
To paraphrase Michel Rocard: “I’m more certain of the world’s stupidity than of its ability to plot”. So no, I don’t think the lobby in question has any real influence on the government’s position. On the other hand, the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries have been anticipating possible legalization in Europe since 2019, and are poised to make big money too if prohibition ends. I really don’t think it’s them who are jeopardizing legalization, and I don’t believe in conspiracy for a second.
How do you see this legalization?
My proposed law is based on the principle of a state monopoly, like SEITA or the SQDC in Quebec. It seems essential to me that the sale of cannabis should be managed by an EPIC (établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial NDLR ) whose aim is not to grow the
market. Some supporters of legalization would like to see a completely free cannabis market, open to all, like the market gardener
who sells his chickpeas. I don’t think this is a responsible approach to public health. Just like tobacco, alcohol or sugar, cannabis remains a drug that can generate addictions and risky behavior. Its use should not be encouraged, at least not if it is not responsible and controlled. This is not to say that a state-run offer would be uncompetitive and monotonous: SEITA has shown us otherwise.
