In Marseille, Emmanuel Macron has displayed his firmness against drugs and refuses to move the legislation on narcotics. But behind the scenes, members of the majority are still hoping for the legalization of cannabis. Jean-Rémi Baudot’s political brief.
Emmanuel Macron and cannabis is the story of a change of foot. “Legalization has a form of efficiency, I’m not against it, the subject must be considered“, said in 2016, the candidate Macron on the set of franceinfo. The Minister of the Economy that he was at the time then denounced a “hypocritical system” and promised the opening of a debate. But that, it was before.
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“It’s like nuclear power: Macron has changed his mind. To be for cannabis was to be against authority“, decrypts one of his former ministers. “The President was more liberal in Bercy“, confirms one of his closest friends. Except that within the majority, some have not forgotten the promise to open the debate. “Public health issue“, insists Caroline Janvier, the Renaissance deputy for Loiret, who warns of the increasingly dangerous substances present in cannabis resin.
Even the Young with Macron demand the legalization of cannabis
And the elected official is not the only one in Macronie to plead for the legalization of this drug: the Young people with Macron are also working on it. “We must protect minors and better control their quality“, explains Ambroise Méjean, boss of the JAM, well aware that his position is far from that of the President. Another argument: for years, the debate on cannabis in France has boiled down to a question of the fight against trafficking. “But does it work?“, annoys the deputy Caroline Janvier who calls to get out of all repressive.
The paradox is that France combines strong repression and strong consumption. So should we change the law? According to a macronist, a third of the Renaissance group would be open to legalization. Except that the majority discourse remains firmness, advocated by the Minister of the Interior.“We are not going to legalize this shit”, Darmanin often repeats. “As long as he is in Beauvau, things won’t change.” explains a member of the majority.
Cannabis, “a subject for 2027”
The right wing of the majority keeps a grip on the subject. Except that behind the scenes, environmentalists – like Julien Bayou – and rebels – like Christophe Bex -, exchange with the majority to try to move the issue forward. At the Assembly, a study group has been working and hearing different personalities since February.
The debate is not completely closed: it is moving in Europe with the recent decriminalization of cannabis in Portugal. “The political class is lagging behind society“, supports a macronist, which makes say a cabinet member that the next presidential candidates will have to position themselves.Cannabis will be a subject of 2027“, predicts this adviser.