Two French lawmakers unveiled a proposal Monday to legalize recreational marijuana in the European country, but some say the timing and political headwinds make success a long shot. The effort also comes just as France’s medical cannabis program faces an unexpected end.
The parliamentary report by Ludovic Mendes of the EPR party and Antoine Léaument of the left-wing La France Insoumise calls for creating a public agency to oversee cannabis production and sales, similar to how France regulates gambling, according to French news site Entrevue.
The 60-point plan would allow licensed farmers to grow cannabis, authorize specialized shops and “cannabis social clubs” similar to Spain’s model, and permit limited home growing. All sales would face strict age verification and quality controls.
France has some of Europe’s harshest drug laws, despite having one of the highest consumption rates with about 4 million regular cannabis users, according to advocacy group Addictions France estimates. The lawmakers want to put legalization to a public vote, betting on President Emmanuel Macron’s past openness to referendums on big social issues.
But Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is pushing back, ramping up pressure on drug users. Police unions warn legalization could strengthen criminal networks, while right-wing Senator Étienne Blanc cautioned it would cause “an explosion in consumption,” according to Entrevue.
France’s medical cannabis pilot program, which has roughly 1,800 patients, was recently extended through July 31. But a broader medical program expected this year “remains uncertain as it was not mentioned in the country’s budget, amid political change,” according to Alliance Global Partners.
So, while France’s medical agency approved continuing the program for now, political turmoil – including seven health ministers in two years – has stalled implementation, Dr. Nadine Attal, a neurologist who helped run the medical trial at a Paris hospital, told Radio France International last month.
Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ: ACB) and a few others recently participated in a trial program for conditions like epilepsy and multiple sclerosis that ran through March 2024.
Lawmakers Mendes and Léaument also suggest decriminalizing possession of small amounts of cocaine and creating whistleblower protections to fight private sector corruption, Entrevue reported.
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