CANNABIS. An amendment has been tabled by EELV MP Julien Bayou which would aim to legalize cannabis in France. What does its text say? Is it likely to pass? Explanations.
[Mise à jour le 20 octobre 2022 à 13h44] What if cannabis became legal in France? This is what the EELV deputy Julien Bayou proposes, between the lines. The elected official has indeed tabled an amendment in the Social Security financing bill to indirectly authorize the sale and consumption of this narcotic which is very widespread in the country but is still prohibited, reveals The Parisian. If it is not written in black and white that this text would make it possible to legalize cannabis in France, the deputy from Paris went through taxation by proposing a new revenue lever for the State via a tax on this product. However, if the State levies a tax, it is because the State authorizes it. But can this amendment really pass?
What does Julien Bayou’s amendment say about the legalization of cannabis in France?
At this stage, the amendment has not yet been made public on the site of the National Assembly, the last put online dating from October 12. However, The Parisian obtained the outline of this text. He proposes to introduce an indirect tax (called excise) “on cannabis and cannabis products”, reports the daily in order to “create an additional resource for the benefit of the compulsory basic Social Security schemes.” The income would be allocated to the “sickness, maternity, disability and death” branch of social security. Cannabis would thus be a product taxed in the same way as alcohol and tobacco.
Is cannabis likely to be legalized in France?
The amendment tabled by Julien Bayou should indeed be examined by the deputies. But is a vote in favor of its adoption really possible? A priori, there is little chance that the text will succeed, given the legislation on the subject in France. However, this theme was a hobbyhorse of Nupes, which made it one of its flagship proposals during the campaign for the legislative elections. In its program, the union of the left had announced that it wanted to “legalize and regulate by a state monopoly the production, sale and consumption of cannabis under conditions allowing the fight against addiction.” However, the other branches of the hemicycle seem much more closed on the subject.
What does the cannabis law say in France?
In France, the possession and consumption of cannabis is prohibited. The substance is one of the prohibited narcotics referenced in an order of February 22, 1990. At the same time, article L3421-1 of the Public Health Code punishes any use of cannabis with a maximum of one year in prison and 3,750 euros in fine. For the sale of cannabis, the maximum penalty is much heavier: up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 7,500,000 euros according to article 222-37 of the Penal Code.