More than four in ten French (43%) favour the decriminalization of cannabis in France, according to a Ifop poll for Atlantico. This figure is up from the month of April 2016 where 41% of French supported this proposal.
In 2012, there were only 30% and 26% in 1996, the first year of this study, conducted regularly for over twenty years. In 2017, half the age of 35 are in favour of the decriminalization of cannabis.
Between June 2011 and January 2017, there has been very little change in younger and older, but the study shows that there is a progression in the intermediate age classes towards membership of the decriminalization (+13 points for the 35-49 years and 14 points 50-64).
The age or political orientation more play in the opinion on the subject that socio-cultural factors: “We can see very strong support for decriminalization in relatives of the Left Front (69%) and environmentalists while PS electorate (50%) is cut in half. also, people close to the right and center are mostly against the decriminalization of cannabis, the FN electorate (42%) but is rather against less opposed than supporters right “, explains Jérôme Fouquet, director of the Department public opinion at Ifop.
According to him, ” the multiplication of settling which resulted in the death of young people, the deployment of police in certain suburbs gives the impression of a battle in a vacuum. The French feel that the current official position n ‘ is more suitable “ .
The use of drugs is prohibited by the law of 31 December 1970 and liable to one year imprisonment and/or a fine of 3,750 euros. Cannabis is by far the most consumed substance: 17 million people have already tried. Nearly 1.5 million people in France consume at least ten times a month, according to figures from the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction.
The survey was conducted using the quota method on a sample of 1004 people aged 18 years and older.