France to Drop Cannabis Prison Terms
France plans to introduce a law this year that will end terms in prison for cannabis use, even though cannabis will remain illegal.
According to The Local, recently elected French president Emmanuel Macron wants to get rid of prison terms for cannabis users as part of his cannabis reform plan for the country. The current penalty for cannabis possession is up to a year in prison or the equivalent of €3,750 in fines ($4,200 USD). “Last year, 180,000 people were found to be in violation of drug laws,” stated French government spokesman Christophe Castaner. “On average these cases take up six hours of police time and the same amount for the presiding magistrate. Is the system effective? No. What is important today is to be effective, and above all to free up time for our police so they can focus more on essential matters.”
Although President Macron has made no announcement in regards to the future possibility of decriminalizing cannabis, people like Patrice Ribeiro of the French police officers’ union support the changes to prison terms. “It’s a good idea that takes reality into account,” said Ribeiro. “Most policemen who arrest a user tell him to throw the joint away and then let them move on.”
France is one of six countries in the European Union that labels cannabis use as a crime. However despite the country’s historically draconian rules on cannabis, France is a place with a lot of love for the plant. According to the French Observatory for Drug Use and Addiction, 17 million French people have used cannabis, and 700,000 say they use it daily. While this may be a small step forward, it will help to get French cannabis offenders out of prisons and will be a start to removing age-old stigmas.
