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France is widely known for its Parisian “joie de vivre” and liberal society. Nevertheless, French cannabis laws are still among the strictest in Europe in 2021. But that may soon change. A public survey on the subject of cannabis is currently causing a great stir among the French. Will cannabis be legal in France in 2022?
France has no forgiveness when it comes to cannabis!
For many years, French leaders have agreed on at least one thing: opposition to cannabis. They have taken tough action not only against dealers but also against ordinary consumers. In the event of a gendarmerie check, a simple joint can lead to heavy penalties. French law totally prohibits the use or possession of cannabis and does not distinguish between personal use and the professional trade in weed. If charged with personal use, offenders in France face a fine of up to €3,750 and a prison sentence of up to one year. If personal use of cannabis poses a danger to others, for example in traffic or at work, the situation becomes even more serious. The threat of up to five years in prison and heavy fines of up to €75,000 exists.
Paradox: one third of the EU’s cannabis is grown in France.
Thus, politically, the battle against cannabis is being waged with a vengeance. Yet, paradoxically, the French are the European leaders in the lucrative cultivation of hemp. According to the French industry association (InterChavre), hemp was grown on about 17,900 hectares in 2019. And that’s just in France. In the EU as a whole, it was only 58 200 hectares. Thus, marketing is currently limited to commercialized fiber and seed. Thus, the content of cannabis in France and of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol may not be less than 0. %.. Some products must even be completely free of THC and CBD. Thus, the versatile plant that is cannabis is used to satisfy the economic interests of certain lobbyists, but the immense potential of the all-purpose green plant is closed with an iron hardness, notably within the French government.
Cannabis laws in France – unchanged since 1970
In the summer of 2018, former French Health Minister Agnés Buzyn announced a major legislative review of cannabis. In particular, to streamline the country’s criminal justice system, which is arguably in trouble. With more than 100,000 arrests a year for cannabis offences alone and 54 tons of weed seized, France’s cellblocks, but also its evidence rooms, are threatening to overflow. Euphoria bubbled over the long-awaited end to this irrational consumer pursuit. Even the French police union has called for a contemporary revision of the long-outdated cannabis laws. But in the end, nothing happened. Although the controversial issue of cannabis has been ideal for beating the election campaign drum in the political arena, the dusty French legal text from 1970 continues to apply to all cannabis issues to this day.
The French cannabis revolution in 2022?
But this should now come to an end: It is therefore high time to rethink this restrictive stigma at the base. At least that is what the majority of the French Parliament is currently saying. Recently, they have been surprisingly open to the benefits of a legal approach to cannabis. Thus, the survey on the subject of cannabis, ordered by the government to the entire French population, has already started on January 13, 2021. Essentially, this online questionnaire covers all aspects of cannabis use and opinion. However, the almost torrential response exceeded even the wildest expectations. At times, demand was so great that the cannabis investigation had to be extended until the end of February.
After an intensive evaluation phase of the civil claims, the committee’s in-depth discussion of the further course of the cannabis proceedings will follow in April. According to current information, the limits for THC and CBD will be raised. In addition, all components of the cannabis plant up to the flowering stage must be released for commercial and industrial purposes. In addition, for the first half of 2021, a two-year test phase for the free distribution of medical cannabis to patients is already planned. The first stones on the road to the legalization of cannabis in France already seem to be rolling. However, it remains to be seen whether this will lead to a true green revolution in 2022, or whether it will be another case of smoke and mirrors.
