The parliamentary information mission on the regulation and impact of the different uses of cannabis launched an online citizen consultation on Wednesday on so-called “recreational” or narcotic cannabis, the consumption, possession and sale of which are prohibited in France.
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It should take the form of a questionnaire posted online for a period of six weeks, while the fact-finding mission should deliver its report on “recreational” cannabis around “end of March-beginning of April”, indicated the deputy of Essonne Robin Reda (LR).
"The approach is not to show how to legalize, but that there is a real expectation of citizens on the subject" of the evolution of the legislation, declared to the press the deputy of Moselle Ludovic Mendes (LREM) , one of the rapporteurs of the mission which, since its launch in January 2020, has heard from numerous specialists and professionals.
"The questionnaire will make it possible to understand how public opinion perceives these subjects, what are its expectations in terms of public policy and arsenal (legislative, Editor's note) associated with the consumption and trafficking of cannabis", underlined for his part the deputy of Loiret Caroline Janvier (LREM).
It will also make it possible to "verify the finding made by surveys according to which nearly one in two French people is in favor of a change in legislation," added the rapporteur on recreational cannabis.
This subject deserves to be "treated in a less caricatured way than it has often been, with the moral argument that often makes it difficult to move forward", continued the elected.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has made the fight against drug trafficking a priority, said in September he was opposed to the legalization of “this shit”.
Member of the Ardèche Michèle Victory (PS) underlined the "economic importance" of an evolution of legislation in France, one of the most repressive in Europe while its inhabitants are the main consumers of cannabis on the continent, with 5 million users per year and 900,000 daily smokers.
“In fairly rural areas where agriculture can be in difficulty, many young farmers want to get started on these (cannabis) farms, but there is enormous legislative vagueness.
There is a need for clarification ”, she thus developed.
After examining therapeutic cannabis and before the report on “recreational” cannabis, the parliamentary fact-finding mission is due to deliver, by mid-February, its conclusions on so-called “well-being” cannabis (cannabidiol , or CBD).
Its ban in France was ruled illegal on November 19 by the Court of Justice of the European Union, a decision which deprives many trials in France of a legal basis and opens up new prospects for the hemp industry.
Authorized in 2019 by the National Assembly but postponed by the health crisis, experimentation with therapeutic cannabis (except for smoking) for at least 3,000 patients suffering from serious diseases must begin no later than March 31.