Drug Laws in France

"In France, the regime applicable to the use of drugs and trafficking was established by Law no 70-1320 of 31 December 1970 on health measures to fight drug addiction and combat the trafficking and use of poisonous substances. The provisions of this law were since codified in the French Public Health Code (CSP in French).

"The penalties incurred by the perpetrators of drug-related offences depend on the severity of the offences committed (see T1.1.1), thus the illicit use of drugs (Art. L.3421-1 of the Public Health Code) is less severely punished than drug trafficking (Art. 222-34 et seq. of the Penal Code) or related offences (money laundering, failure to provide proof of resources corresponding to one's lifestyle, etc.), because the perpetrator is considered by the law to be a delinquent as well as a patient. The criminalisation of drug use is reflected in a wide range of responses: some suspend or cancel prosecution but are still sanctions, such as alternatives to prosecution or fixed penalty notices; others result in legal proceedings, which may lead to a fine or other types of sentence (or even, sometimes, imprisonment).

"Although French law makes no distinction between drugs as some countries do, it distinguishes between the illicit sale and supply of narcotics to a person in light of their personal use and other situations. Repeated offences are more severely sanctioned (see T1.1.2).

"There are no specific laws regulating new psychoactive substances (NPS). The rationale for classifying a NPS on the list of narcotics is both individual (each prohibited substance is named on the list) and generic (See T1.1.3).

"In 2023, new developments include the extension of the trial on the use of medical cannabis, Medical addiction microstructures, and the addition of synthetic opioids, CBD derivatives, and some new synthetic cannabinoids on the list of narcotics (see T3)."