The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin believes Monday, September 14 in an interview with the newspaper
L'Union
that the mayor (LR) of Reims Arnaud Robinet "
is deeply mistaken
" when he speaks for the experimentation of the legalization of cannabis, a substance he calls "
shit
".
In an interview with
Le
Parisien
on September 6, he had already used this term.
Read also: The city of Reims candidate to test the legalization of cannabis
"
The law of the Republic is the prohibition of drugs,
" insists the Minister of the Interior at
The Union
.
“
I have a deep disagreement with Arnaud Robinet on this point, and despite my esteem for him.
On this subject, I think he is deeply mistaken
, ”he adds.
“
I cannot, as Minister of the Interior, as a politician tell parents who are fighting to get their children out of drug addiction, that we are going to legalize this shit.
And I say 'this shit'
”, protests the minister.
"
How would I respond to the dozens of letters I receive a month from parents who have had children seriously injured or killed because they took drugs and then drove?"
"He wonders, estimating that"
with legalization, there is a small side 'I give up'
".
“
This government is not giving up,
” he concludes.
In a letter to the Prime Minister dated September 8, Arnaud Robinet had on the contrary called for a "
real debate
" on cannabis to "
study the consequences of legalizing (its) sale
", with local "
experiments
", in particular at Reims.
"
This reflection, the commitment of which requires a certain courage, could lead to the setting up of territorial experiments limited in time
", proposed Arnaud Robinet.
"
Reims could then apply,
" he added in this letter to Jean Castex.
"
France has the strictest repressive arsenal in Europe and yet it is the country with the most cannabis consumers: 11% of French people, three times more than 30 years ago
", argued to AFP the former deputy, deeming it essential to "
get out of ideology and be pragmatic
" on this subject.