Economists advise Matignon call for legalization of cannabis
One foot of cannabis can earn 1,000 euros each year. – Julio Cortez / AP / SIPA
Hi, mega surprise. Legalize cannabis and reinvest the profits generated in the prevention and fight against trafficking: in an iconoclastic report published on Thursday, economists responsible for advising the Prime Minister provide a vademecum to end the "failure" of prohibition.
This note, entitled "Cannabis: How to regain control? ", Emanates from the Council of Economic Analysis (CAE), a group of economists attached to Matignon and led by Philippe Martin, known close to Emmanuel Macron.
Purely advisory
Purely consultative, the document cries out 50 years of government policies and calls for creating a "public monopoly of production and distribution of cannabis." A new debate in the aisles of power, carried a few months after the legalization of cannabis by Canada in late 2018. Tuesday, several deputies, including five "walkers", also unveiled a proposal for cross-country legislation for a "controlled legalization".
"The prohibition system promoted by France for 50 years is a failure," say the authors of the note of CAE, Emmanuelle Auriol and Pierre-Yves Geoffard. Despite one of the most repressive legislation in the Old Continent, France is the European champion of cannabis use: with 5 million users in 2017 and "worrying" consumption among minors.
"No serious harmful effects found"
According to the scientific literature, a "moderate consumption" of cannabis has "no serious harmful effects" on the health of adults, recalls the note. This drug increases the risk of schizophrenia "of the youngest". The CAE therefore recommends legalization accompanied by a ban on sales to minors.
For this, economists want "centralized state management". In concrete terms, the State would issue licenses to "authorized producers and distributors", as for tobacco. But unlike cigarettes, cannabis would be sold in specialized shops, forbidden to minors and easier to monitor.
The creation of an "independent administrative authority"
This system would be headed by an "independent administrative authority", responsible for regulating the market and creating the conditions for drying up the black market. The note recommends a final price of nine euros for one gram of grass, against about 11 euros on the street.
The CAE also estimated the economic benefits of such legalization. Assuming an annual cannabis consumption of 500 to 700 tonnes per year, economists estimate that legalization could create between 27,500 and 80,000 jobs in France and generate tax revenues of 2 to 2.8 billion euros. euros.
A windfall that they recommend reinvesting in prevention, the policy in favor of the poor neighborhoods and the fight against the traffic.
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