Cannabis Might Be A Critical Issue For Upcoming French Election
There are only 8 months left until the 2017 French presidential election is held and it looks like cannabis might become a critical issue with voters there this year.
Demonstrators have for some time been protesting for cannabis legalization in the country, and it's estimated that there are currently millions of active smokers in the nation. Though there are still hefty fines/penalties associated with cannabis use however, in some circumstances you could get up to ten years or more.
Even cannabis-based medicine has been banned from France, although a few years ago the Health Minister, Marisol Touraine, made some small changes in order to permit a select few medicines that use cannabis derivatives. But aside from those select few medicine options which are permitted by the state, there is still hefty punishment associated with the use of any unapproved cannabis or cannabis-products.
Some people are tired of the nonsense.
Like Benoit Hamon, a socialist politician who plans to run in the upcoming French election. Hamon is said to be in third place currently, after a recent poll showed a surge in support for him. Hamon has declared that he wants to legalize cannabis. And though his economic policies may be flawed, at least he sees the sense in not threatening the use of violence for people who consume a plant. He says that current policy in place which criminalizes cannabis has been nothing but a complete failure and furthermore, he admits that choosing to end that fight against cannabis would ultimately hurt the pockets of criminal gangs.
Hamon isn't the only one who is speaking out.
Last year, the Minister for Parliamentary Relations, Jean-Marie Le Guen, publicly stated that prohibition had never been responsible for even a slight decline in the prevalence of drug use. Considering: that the war on drugs is broad and overreaching, it's extremely costly, and that we've never even come close to accomplishing even a fraction of that goal; perhaps it's time to put the time/attention & those resource to better use?
After Jean-Marie Le Guen spoke out, it didn't take long for his own party to come out firing back, and publicly reaffirm the need to maintain the costly fight against cannabis. They said that if they were to make any changes then it would look like they've let their guard down in the fight against drugs.
Pics:
pixabay
giphy
Sources:
https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/cannabis-in-france/
https://www.rt.com/news/france-medicine-marijuana-approve-386/
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/socialist-outsider-eyes-poll-defying-win-of-french-presidential/3419682.html
http://www.thelocal.fr/20160412/france-sparks-up-debate-on-making-weed-legal
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2017/01/06/marijuana-legalization-in-europe-is-france-next/#26bbf0a62dd2
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