This French Secretary of State Is Clear: "The Prohibition of Cannabis Is Not Effective"

The television interview with the Secretary of State for Relations with Parliament, Jean-Marie Le Guen, talking about the use of cannabis has put him in the limelight. Le Guen is a doctor by profession, an expert in public health and member of the French National Assembly for the group “Socialist, radical, citizen and diverse left”, which encompasses the left wing of French politics.

The contentious statement, “prohibition is not effective”, was used by the man at the centre of the controversy on BFM TV, a French news channel. On the channel, he was asked to explain his view regarding the legal framework that regulates cannabis in his country, and he proposed a system of selective decriminalisation for private use among people over the age of 21. In the program he gave viewers his opinion regarding the prohibition measures adopted by the Government in order to stop the consumption of cannabis. According to him, they have done nothing but fail in their mission.

This statement really coincides with the results obtained by a study carried out in France last year, which concluded that the proportion of young people that smoke cannabis in the country is considerably higher than figures that are found in other developed countries.

During his interview, Le Guen also clarified the fact that he was not speaking on behalf of the Government, although he did believe that the subject could be put up for debate by the next French president.

It is not the first time since François Hollande came to power in 2012 that a member of the French government has reignited the debate about whether or not to decriminalise the use of cannabis. On previous occasions, the dissonant voices were either countered or ignored by the Administration.

Now, in the case of Le Guen, the response has not taken long to come. The Minister for Education, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, highlighted that cannabis regulation was not part of future plans. Also, the Government spokesperson, Stéphane Le Foll, did emphasise that Le Guen was free to express his own ideas, and stated that the Government was not working on the issue, and nor was it thinking of doing so.