For a nation primarily known for its fine wine, good food, and general disdain for the wine and cuisine of other countries, the French love for marijuana has gone unnoticed. France reportedly has the highest cannabis consumption rate among its citizens in continental Europe, with consumption rates of around 11% in 2017. This is despite the strong anti-cannabis stance of the French government, which has issued some of the harshest penalties.
However, the French government’s position on cannabis may be softening. As a possible starting point for future legalization, France is launching its first medical cannabis study since the 1950s. Over the next two years, 3,000 patients will receive medical marijuana to test the beneficial effects of the plant on their condition.
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Is this the first step for France towards the legalization of medical marijuana? How exactly is this study unfolding? Will France join its neighbors in decriminalizing cannabis? Undoubtedly, but first and foremost, it is important to understand the historical context of cannabis prohibition in France.
Why is weed illegal in France?
France’s history with cannabis dates back to 1798, when Napoleon’s soldiers invaded Egypt. The troops began smoking grass because there was neither wine nor alcohol in the Muslim country. It can be assumed that due to the soldier’s dim atmosphere, Napoleon was wary of this new drug. Future French governments shared his viewpoint. Colonial French believed that marijuana caused violence, madness, and criminal behavior among the North African Muslims they had subjugated. In a sadly familiar Anslinger vein, they called it “hashish madness,” which essentially translates to “madness.”
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The negative stance of France on cannabis dates back to Napoleon. The plant was banned for medical use in 1953 after French doctors discovered that it did not cure cholera. We do not know why that was the breaking point.
When the French Empire dissolved in 1970, French politicians voted in favor of banning marijuana consumption nationwide. This was partly due to fears of an influx of Arabs and Africans into their country from former colonial territories. Because marijuana consumption was culturally linked to Muslim Arabs, criminalization became another means of oppressing the minority population.
Today, half of the approximately 70,000 prisoners are Muslim men of Arab descent, although they represent only 9% of the population. It is estimated that one in six prisoners is incarcerated for cannabis. France has only increased cannabis repression since the 1970s. In 2010, 86% of the 117,421 drug-related arrests involved the possession or distribution of cannabis, and annual arrests for cannabis consumption soared to just under 140,000 in 2015. Possession can lead to a year in prison and a fine of 1,450 euros.
Opposition to this policy has been growing for years.
Doctor’s Office
Advocates for medical marijuana and researchers have been pushing for a medical study since 2013. Last year, in an open letter published in the magazine L’OBS, dozens of French economists, politicians, and doctors denounced the failure of anti-cannabis laws and pushed for legalization. This decision was followed by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, which published a report labeling the cannabis ban a failure and recommending legalization for economic reasons.
Despite the dismal failure of marijuana in treating cholera, the French medical establishment is ready to try again.
Starting in March 2021 and for the next two years, 3,000 French citizens will receive free cannabis-based products to treat their medical issues. The cannabis products will be supplied by foreign companies working with the government and will include pills, oils, and dried flowers, but patients will not be allowed to smoke any product.
It is hoped that this medical practice will influence the future of medical marijuana legalization in France. The study only accepts patients with severe illnesses for which other forms of medical care are insufficient or not considered effective enough. This covers issues such as epilepsy, chronic pain, or multiple sclerosis. Cannabis will also be prescribed to patients undergoing the side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy.
This study is not considered a pharmacological study, as no patient will receive a placebo to test efficacy in a double-blind manner. Instead, researchers and doctors will frequently monitor patients, including the amounts they consume, the benefits they report, and how often they consume cannabis.
After two years, researchers will determine whether cannabis-based products have been able to meet needs and treat patients in ways that other medical interventions could not. The hope is to further convince the French government and the medical establishment that their skepticism regarding cannabis is unwarranted.
What is the future of cannabis in France?
Will France join its neighbors, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, in fully decriminalizing recreational cannabis use? In the national spirit of “Liberty, equality, and fraternity” and in the effort to probe the waters of future cannabis legalization, the French government launched a public consultation on legalization earlier this year. So far, more than 200,000 citizens have responded (the normal figure is 30,000), and we can assume that the overwhelming feedback for legalization is “Yes, please.” With growing popular support from public opinion, local politicians, including half of Paris’s mayors, and elections on the horizon for next year, France could begin the long process of decriminalization.
In the short term, 3,000 people suffering from pain may experience relief impossible without medical cannabis, which is a victory in itself.
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