Recreational cannabis: a public consultation to be held
It is now up to public opinion to express itself: what do people think about the use of recreational cannabis?
Thirty-three deputies form the fact-finding mission tasked with addressing this subject, one year after its creation. It is chaired by Robin Reda (LR) and Jean-Baptiste Moreau (LaREM). While these first few months were used to lay the groundwork for this work on therapeutic cannabis, it has been conducting a series of hearings since November 2020. During these hearings, all uses of cannabis currently considered illegal in France were reviewed. This work is led by thematic rapporteur Caroline Janvier.
The aim of this mission is now to assess public policies on the prevention and suppression of cannabis trafficking and use. Then, to centralize a sample of foreign experiences of legalization or decriminalization. This will ultimately feed into a reflection on the possible evolution of the French regulatory framework for this substance.
The opinion of French citizens on cannabis matters
We learned last November: this marks the end of many years of legal battle. "CBD" (cannabidiol - a molecule without psychoactive effects present in hemp), whose commercialization was still prohibited in France, has seen its status evolve positively.
The timing is ideal because the reflection undertaken by the fact-finding mission cannot be considered and consolidated without gathering the opinion of citizens. What are their expectations? What is their perception of the matter? Several municipalities, such as Villeurbanne for example, have volunteered to propose this citizen consultation. From January 13 to February 28, 2021, the fact-finding mission will focus on studying the responses. To listen to better understand how French people view the use of recreational cannabis and their vision for the future of public policies in this area.
The results will be taken into account to inform the proposals that the fact-finding mission will support in its report.
