The new centrist government is preparing to soften legislation, making users caught with cannabis liable for an instant fine of 150-200 euros ($180-250) instead of prosecution and the threat of a one-year jail term. He said there were 1.2 million regular users in France -- higher than other estimates of around 700,000 which makes France one of the biggest consumers of the drug on the continent. The on-the-spot fine scheme is intended to bring clarity and serve as a deterrent, with ministers and Macron all against following the worldwide trend towards decriminalising cannabis out of fear of normalising drug use. One of the lawmakers who prepared the French parliamentary report, Eric Poulliat from Macron's LREM, stressed to AFP that the fine "is not normalising cannabis or a step towards decriminalisation." "The regular cashflow for a dealer who sells several products comes from cannabis," Benjamin Jeanroy from Echo told AFP.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 23, 2018 15:56 UTC