French National Strategy Against Drugs

"The initial interministerial anti-drug plan dates back to 1983. The 2008-2011 'Government Action Plan Against Drugs and Drug Addiction' includes almost 200 measures for prevention, enforcement, health/social care, research, observation, training and international cooperation. Priority is given to preventing people from taking drugs from the get-go, since the age of first-time use is younger and younger. This targets young people and those close to them (such as parents and educators).
"The Plan mentions several priorities for enforcing the law: alcohol abuse among the youngest users, drug related offences and/or tobacco use in public establishments, cannabis trafficking, seizure and court-ordered confiscation.
"It provides for new treatment and social integration modalities, particularly for minors, pregnant women or parents of young children, cocaine or crack users and newly-released convicts. The plan aims to increase housing capacity for addicts in vulnerable conditions.
"Finally, with respect to international policy, the 2008-2011 plan has three major objectives:
"• reinforcing (within a multilateral, European and bilateral framework) actions deployed at every stage along the trafficking routes (particularly in western Africa and the Mediterranean) in order to choke off the cannabis and cocaine supply sources in Europe and heroin outlets in central Europe and the Balkans;
"• setting up of increasing numbers of agreements with the countries concerned in order to simplify international action against the diversion of chemical precursors (particularly in Afghanistan);
"• and finally, boosting Mediterranean cooperation to coordinate the fight against drugs in the Mediterranean area.
"The 2012 electoral calendar postponed the adoption of the 2012-2015 'Government Action Plan Against Drugs and Drug Addiction'.
"The preceding plan (2004-2008) was inspired by a policy that mainly targeted young people and prevention, with a particular focus on 'halting the spread of cannabis' among adolescents and young adults. Without abandoning these efforts, the 2008-2011 Plan emphasises enforcing the law through targeted communication campaigns. The government plan can also be seen as a continuation of the French Ministry of Health’s 2007-2011 Plan for the treatment and prevention of addictions, adopted in November 2006 42, which seeks to structure and enhance the availability of existing facilities and programmes (hospitals, health/social care centres and in primary care settings)."