Cannabis: Study backs risk-led approach, France still pushing criminalisation

As a new European report pushes for greater communication of cannabis use risks, France is banking on a policy of prohibition, the effectiveness of which remains to be proven. 

Cannabis remains the most widely consumed illicit drug in the EU, according to the latest report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), published on Friday (June 16). 

The EMCDDA estimates that in Europe, 8% of 25-64 year-olds, or 22.5 million people, used cannabis in 2022. Moreover, the availability of cannabis appears to be increasing, with the quantities of resin and herb seized in the EU in 2021 reaching their highest level for a decade. 

The report stresses the need for effective risk communication strategies to inform consumers “about the adverse health effects associated with new substances, drug-drug interactions and products with a high active ingredient content”. 

However, France is instead betting on a sanctions-based approach through strict legislation, where consumers risk not only a fine but prison time.

According to Clément Rossignol-Puech, mayor of Bègles, Gironde, France, the government dedicates most of its budget to fighting drug trafficking instead of communicating the risks to the consumers’ health.

France has the second-highest cannabis consumption rate in Europe: 45% of French people aged between 15 and 64 have used cannabis at least once in their lives, according to a report by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) published in September 2021. 

This is higher than in other European countries, such as Spain or Denmark, where the figure in each country is below 40%. In the meantime in the Netherlands, where cannabis is freely available, the figure is 30%. 

France to keep a cautious watch on German cannabis bill

As Germany moves towards the legalisation of recreational cannabis in 2024, the French government intends to keep a close eye on developments in its European neighbour’s legislative framework.

European countries on the road to legalisation 

Within the EU, a wind of change seems to have been blowing for several years on public cannabis policies.

Drugs have been decriminalised in Portugal since 2001, and “cannabis consumption in Portugal is three times lower than in France”, Caroline Janvier, Renaissance MP for the Loiret region, told EURACTIV. 

Malta is also often held up as an example, having fully legalised cannabis consumption for anyone aged 18 or over since 2021. 

More recently, Germany announced its intention to pave the way for the full legalisation of cannabis as early as 2024. According to German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, the future law would “ensure better protection for children and young people, but also better health protection”. 

But each European country has its own policy on cannabis, as the EU has no competence on the subject, MEP David Cormand (Greens/EFA) reminded EURACTIV. 

A European Parliament resolution adopted in 2019 calls for European rules on therapeutic and recreational cannabis, but the resolution is not binding and only expresses a point of view. 

“Legal rules would help control points of sale and limit recourse to the black market. They would also help prevent substance abuse and addiction among minors and vulnerable groups,” reads the resolution. 

“This is a public health issue, it is difficult to treat cannabis dependence and addictive behaviours if its use is illegal,” noted Cormand. In Europe, 97,000 users entered care for problems related to cannabis use in 2021.

“Drug addicts are considered criminals before they are sick,” said French MP Janvier. 

French policy

In France, cannabis legislation does not appear to be moving in that direction.

Valérie Saintoyant, delegate for the French interministerial mission for the fight against drugs and addictive behaviour (Mildeca), said in January that the legalisation of cannabis in Europe was far from a “success”.

However, several officials have argued against the current heavy-handed approach.

“Public policy on cannabis in France is ineffective,” Janvier, who is the rapporteur for the information mission on the regulation and impact of the various uses of cannabis, told EURACTIV.

“We need to move towards controlled legalisation, where the state controls the manufacture and processing of the product, and the THC content,” she told EURACTIV France. 

The same is true of Rossignol-Puech, who would like to experiment with cannabis legalisation on the scale of his town. 

“People need to know what they’re consuming. When consumption is controlled, it is better managed and decreases,” said the mayor in an interview with EURACTIV France. 

Rossignol-Puech said he has to deal with families who don’t know how to deal with their children who consume cannabis at a very early age, often as early as middle school.

While cannabis poses an increased risk for the under-25s, as the brain is not yet fully developed, “we need messages aimed at young people, as we do with tobacco”, he insisted.

Germany sets out plans for cannabis legalisation amid EU law worries

German health minister Karl Lauterbach presented plans for legalising cannabis for recreational use – a key promise of the country’s “traffic light” government, although the project could still be halted by the EU Commission.

[Edited by Giedrė Peseckytė/Nathalie Weatherald]

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