A few smokers are relaxing on the grass. At the Parc de la Villette, Tuesday evening, the atmosphere is good-natured. The weather is more threatening than the handful of police officers sitting in their van a few dozen meters away. During this “call of the 18 joint”, the caps and military medals gave way to around fifty cannabis lovers. “Be careful, there’s a lot of tobacco in this one,” we warn each other as we pass the joint around.
Established in 1976 by Release, the annual gathering advocates for the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in France. “There is great diversity in terms of generations,” notes Youssef, 33, second call on the meter. It must be said that this year, the heavy political context – and the breakthrough of the far right – motivates the gathering.
“We are going to have a chance with this new parliament,” assures Farid Ghehioueche, founder of Cannabis Without Borders. We have nothing to expect from Macronie and the RN. Under Macron, we are subject to over-penalization, with “clearance” operations and fixed criminal fines. We must move towards the New Popular Front. Maybe we can breathe a little. »
“Germany is filling the sails of our claim”
Especially since Germany just legalized the consumption of cannabis last April, becoming the third country in the European Union to take the plunge after Malta and Luxembourg. “It’s a message of hope coming from a neighboring country,” comments Youssef. It shows that our fight for legalization is not dead. » “Germany fills the sails of our claim,” continues Farid Ghehioueche, holding a Swiss flag eaten by a hemp leaf. We have the impression that the wave of legalization started across the Atlantic is reaching Europe. »
We then cite the two environmentalist mayors of Bègles and Strasbourg who wish to make the two municipalities experimental grounds for the legalization of cannabis, to go against a repressive state policy. “The fact that a European country like Germany, committed to public order and public health, decides to change its legislation clearly shows that a purely repressive policy did not seem satisfactory or effective,” said even the environmentalist mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian told AFP a few weeks ago.
“The level of repression is quite sordid”
Further away, three dogs are bickering, while everyone lights a joint while chatting. A speaker spits out sound, and the hit Bonne Weed by the artist Taïro is diffused more widely than the smell of smoke. And suddenly “who has already taken a lump sum criminal fine?” asks Farid Ghehioueche, while around twenty hands are raised. The level of repression is quite sordid,” complains the fifty-year-old.
“The government must realize that it must support and not repress. We must be able to consume cannabis without fear of being arrested,” says Antoine, 20, present a few weeks ago at the Cannaparade in Paris, a march demanding the legalization of the substance.
“The government’s drug policy is catastrophic. It costs a lot of money, and they have not contained the problems, Youssef further analyzes. Politicians also spread a lot of false information about cannabis. »
France has five million cannabis smokers
Among the reliable data on this substance, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction revealed that almost half of French adults (47.3%) say they have already used cannabis, the highest figure in the EU. . According to the French Drug Observatory, France has five million cannabis smokers.
Our file on cannabis
“It’s going to be complicated to ride,” Antoine finally quips while in La Villette fine drops of rain fall on the green lawn and shelters are rare. The wind picks up and a single slogan then circulates: “we can roll in the grass if we cannot roll on it. »