Recreational for some, therapeutic for others, a drug whatever it is… Cannabis remains a hot topic for both politicians and citizens. If legislation is relaxed in certain countries, such as in Germany from Monday 1 April, France still refuses. However, it has the second highest rate of users in the European Union, according to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) : 10.6% of 15-64 years in France have used cannabis at least once in the past year, according to 2021 data. Actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz, in collaboration with director Antoine Robin, investigated for a year the different ways of frame this phenomenon.
“We wanted to compare France’s approach with [celle des] other countries around the world that have legalized cannabis. It was not a question of saying whether it is good or bad, but of understanding what the results of these countries are. Not talking about it is not a solution.”
Mathieu Kassovitz, actor and directorduring the presentation of his documentary to the press
This documentary, entitled Cannabis, raises multiple issues. In order to better understand the consequences of consuming this drug, the director of Hate traveled through the different countries that have legislated to authorize or decriminalize its consumption. He met consumers, dealers, cannabis producers, doctors and political figures, and explores the organization, failures and successes of legalization.
A documentary with educational value broadcast in two distinct forms : a serial format in 10 episodes, to be found on francetv slash, intended for younger audiences, and a long documentary format, broadcast on 2 April at 9:05 p.m. on France 5. Franceinfo has selected three extracts to discover before its release.
In the Netherlands, gang warfare and an evolving model
Since 1976, it has been tolerated to consume marijuana in coffee shops in the Netherlands, so much so that Amsterdam became the capital of cannabis in the early 1980s. However, the country has placed itself in a gray zone: it remains prohibited to cultivate this drug there, to supply it to these shops or even consume it, but the authorities choose not to apply the law to users.
The poor management of drug flows and the wait-and-see attitude of Batavian policy allow mafia groups to proliferate, encouraged by strong consumer demand. The most active mafia is Moroccan. Called Mocro Maffia, it organizes large-scale trafficking and draws in its wake violence which has intensified in recent years. A veritable urban guerrilla war is plaguing the country.
“They kill each other amid general indifference. (…) In 2016, they cut off a guy’s head, like in Mexico, and left it in front of a shisha bar which was the stronghold of the opposing gang , as a warning.”
Wouter Laumans, Dutch authorin the documentary “Cannabis”
Nothing stops these traffickers, who are suspected of having ordered the assassinations of a lawyer and a journalist in the middle of the street. Ridouan Taghi, considered the mastermind of the Mocro Maffia, was sentenced at the end of February to life in prison for around ten assassinations or attempted assassinations (he appealed). But the gang war continues and the money generated by drug trafficking infiltrates all economic sectors of the country.
It is therefore in the process of evolving its model to try to stop drug trafficking. : since 15 December, the authorities launched an experiment in the decriminalization of cannabis production and supply to coffee shops. It started with two cities in the south of the country, Breda and Tilburg, and must gradually extend to other localities, including Amsterdam.
In the Netherlands, gang warfare and an evolving model
The gray area around cannabis in Dutch law has allowed the bloody development of the Moccro Maffia. And encourages the country to experiment with decriminalization.
(FRANCE 5)
In Canada, legalization that the Prime Minister does not regret
In 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis use, starting in 19 or 21 years depending on the province. Sworn sellers replace dealers and the federal government rigorously supervises and manages marijuana production. A clear charter is established : not making a profit on cannabis, and reinvesting revenues in research, addiction prevention and management of points of sale.
This election promise from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led to fears, at the time, of a considerable increase in consumption among young people aged 15 to 24 years. But it remained stable. Only adults aged 35 years and over are consuming more cannabis since it became available over the counter, according to a study by Montreal public health. Cannabis has since become a non-subject in the country, according to Justin Trudeau, who responded to Mathieu Kassovitz.
“I remember well all the intense debates we had, that it was going to be the end of the world… We did it and we hardly talk about it anymore.”
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canadain the documentary “Cannabis”
The head of the Canadian government lists numerous benefits, in his eyes, of the legislation in force for more than five years : “Money is going more and more towards a regulated market and consumption is safer (…) We also see positive impacts on our judicial and penal system. There are fewer arrests (…) fewer discrimination against minorities, who have always been more targeted” by the fight against drugs.
In Canada, legalization that the Prime Minister does not regret (FRANCE 5)
Justin Trudeau’s government made Canada one of the first countries to legalize all uses of cannabis in 2018. The politician, who responded to Mathieu Kassovitz, sees many benefits five years later.
In France, young people, the first victims of cannabis
Many young French people experiment with cannabis as early as adolescence. According to the French Observatory on Drugs and Addictive Tendencies, in 2018, 42.4% of final year students and 9.1% of third year middle school students had used it at least once. With sometimes dramatic consequences.
At Montpellier University Hospital, Mathieu Kassovitz questions Professor Hélène Donnadieu Rigole, who treats patients addicted to cannabis. “The inability to abstain from consuming” can affect particularly young patients, observes the addictologist. “The youngest, very rarely, they are 11 and 12 years. But the majority are 13-14 years”. Alan, a medical student treated in his department, has smoked since he was 15 years.
“It was recreational in the evenings. As we discovered alcohol in high school, there was the discovery of cannabis at the same time.”
Alan, young user followed by an addictologistin the documentary “Cannabis”
Four years later, his pleasure in taking the drug has dried up, and it has become more of a source of anxiety. He decides, on his own initiative, to consult Hélène Donnadieu Rigole. “I came here because I wanted to balance my life, explains the young man to Mathieu Kassovitz. It rather became a hindrance in my personal development. (…) There was an anxiety problem hiding behind this consumption.”
In France, young people, the first victims of cannabis
In Montpellier, an addictologist and one of her young patients answer questions from Mathieu Kassovitz. Alan, a medical student, started smoking at 15.
(FRANCE 5)
The documentary Cannabisdirected by Mathieu Kassovitz and Antoine Robin, is broadcast Tuesday 2 April at 9:05 p.m. on France 5. It is also visible on france.tv, and in a series of 10 episodes on francetv slash.