French Lawmakers Seek to Introduce Cannabis Distribution and Consumption
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap] handful of French members of parliament (MP) are proposing that the country consider legalizing cannabis distribution and consumption, due to failed attempts to prohibit the plant.
On June 20, five MPs from the La Republique en marche party suggested a way to embrace and regulate cannabis, by “ . . . the creation of a monopoly for the production and sale of cannabis through the creation of a national company [?.?.?.], will regulate production and sales while controlling consumption.”
According to the Financial Times, this change in tune is partly because of the release of the Council of Economic Analysis. This report recommended that the French government create a public company that would stand as a monopoly on cannabis production and distribution. “The prohibition system promoted by France for 50 years is a failure,” the report reads. It also suggests that such a monopoly would allow the government to prevent organized crime as well as the access of cannabis to minors.
France’s Transport Minister, Elisabeth Borne, stated that although recreational cannabis isn’t being considered, the country could soon be looking at medical cannabis as an option as well. “The position of the French state is clear,” Borne told LCI television. “We are against legalising cannabis for recreational use. There is an ongoing discussion about medical use.” If France were to allow cannabis as recommended by the report, it is projected that it could bring in as much as $2.8 euros in yearly tax income.
France is known as having one of the highest rate of cannabis consumption in Europe. According to a survey conducted by the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction in 2016, 41.1 percent of those who were ages 15-64 had reported at least having consumed once in their lifetime. The entire European average was at 18.9 when the study was initially published.
