Skip to main content

Cannabis news worldwide -- France wants to soften law against cannabis use

France wants to soften law against cannabis use

France has the toughest laws against smoking cannabis in Europe yet more people consume this drug than in almost any other European country. A new government report recommends introducing fixed fines to tackle the problem.

In France, the most recent figures available show that 17 million people have tried cannabis, 1.4 million people use it regularly - 700 000 on a daily basis - and consumption is on the rise. Yet laws against smoking pot are harsher than anywhere else in Europe: under current legislation, users can face up to a year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros.

A new parliamentary report to be released on Wednesday recommends introducing a fixed fine of 150 to 200 euros instead. It concludes that current legislation is not working. Few of the 140,000 people arrested every year in France for smoking a joint are fined, and even less are given a prison sentence. In 2015, there were around 64,000 drug-related convictions – 140,000 of which were for illegal drug use. Out of those, only 3,098 resulted in a prison sentence.

Police officers are crumbling under the weight of bureaucracy

Despite the low number of convictions, the country’s police officers are crumbling under the weight of the bureaucracy related to these offences.

Softening current legislation would help to reduce this workload, the report contends, and free up the police to concentrate their efforts on the fight against trafficking instead.

“The fixed fine of 150-200 euros that I propose would enable police officers in the field to stop the legal procedure there and then with the person who has been caught,” MP Robin Reda, who headed the report with MP Eric Pouillat, told Le Parisien. "The advantage of this is that the punishment is immediate and systematic.”

With such a high number of cannabis users in France, should smoking a joint remain a criminal offence? On this topic, both men differ. Pouillat from the ruling party 'La République en Marche' believes legal procedures should be launched if the fixed-fine is not paid within 45 days. Reda, who is from the opposition party Les Républicains, believes they should be dropped altogether.

Legalising cannabis is not on the cards

If the report points towards a softening of the law, legalising cannabis is not on the cards in France. Speaking on French radio Monday, France's finance minister Bruno LeMaire made this clear. “This is my personal conviction: cannabis must not be legalised. On the other hand, we must take a good hard look at where we have gone wrong…we have the harshest laws in Europe, yet the highest consumption rates.”

In France 40.9% of the population consumes cannabis - compared with 35% in Denmark, 30.40% in Spain, and 25% in the Netherlands.

Date created : 2018-01-22

Let's block ads! (Why?)



http://www.france24.com/en/20180122-fran...n-Poulliat

from potads - All Forums learn more

Popular posts from this blog

Martha Stewart launches CBD line in crowded market - CNN

Martha Stewart launches CBD line in crowded market - CNN The hemp-derived, cannabidiol-rich gummies, soft gels and oil drops officially launched on Thursday after more than a year in development. The products are the result of the style maven's partnership with Canopy Growth ( CGC ) , the Canadian cannabis company with a multibillion-dollar backer in US alcohol giant Constellation Brands ( STZ ) . Stewart joined Canopy as an adviser in early 2019 for the express purpose of developing cannabis products for humans and their pets after being introduced to Canopy's founder by her friend Calvin Broadus Jr. -- the rapper and businessman better known as Snoop Dogg. His Leafs by Snoop cannabis brand is produced by Canopy. The initial Martha Stewart CBD products, which range from $34.99 to $44.99, will be sold online at Canopy's e-commerce site . The pet products are expected to debut later this year. "I was surprised to learn that while most people have heard of
Read more

The Half-Legal Cannabis Trap - POLITICO

The Half-Legal Cannabis Trap - POLITICO LOS ANGELES — Everything about Kelvin’s job in a neighborhood southwest of downtown seemed like any other assignment, if not a little more exciting. The 40-year-old, who had previously worked as an electrician, had been employed since 2015 by a private security company that contracted him out to guard marijuana dispensaries. In 2019, he was protecting one of the thousand or so cannabis stores in California’s biggest city—part of an industry that has grown less and less underground since 1996, when the state first legalized medical marijuana. Kelvin, who asked not to be identified beyond his middle name to avoid professional retaliation, doesn’t smoke pot, but says the gig felt like the future. He grew up in a time when other Black people he knew in Los Angeles would go to jail for possessing even small amounts of the drug. Now, customers could walk into shops like the one he was guarding, many of which can be identified by green crosses on
Read more

This UK-Based Entrepreneur Has Mastered the Art of Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneur

This UK-Based Entrepreneur Has Mastered the Art of Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneur June 20, 2020 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. All businesses hinge on the success of their founders. With their unique blend of innovation and brilliance, successful entrepreneurs can transform their industries by filling a gap in the market. This is what Vithurs (or V, as he likes to be called) did when he entered the digital marketing world and ultimately launched Blessed CBD —one of the fastest growing CBD brands in the UK. His unique skill set, paired with his fearless approach to business and deep knowledge of the cannabis industry, propelled him towards success. Because ultimately, a company is only as successful as its founder. And there’s no arguing Vithurs is a leading name in the UK’s growing cannabis industry. Global reach in digital marketing Born and raised in the UK, Vithurs was just 13 when he delved into Internet marketing f
Read more