Last full year as of 2019 data available, France is tied with Spain for the highest rate of marijuana consumption.both countries have Consumption rate 11%.

Consumption rates were measured by examining survey data, in which people were asked if they had consumed marijuana at least once in the past 12 months.

In the long run, according to the same survey, Malta, which recently passed adult-use legalisation measures (the first in Europe), has a consumption rate of only 0.9%.

Spain has one of the highest rates of consumption, which is not surprising since it is The World’s Largest Cannabis Super Conference. However, French consumption rates tend to be eye-popping.

Has France legalized marijuana?

Earlier this month Act 4746 Introduced to France. The measure would allow France to legalize cannabis for adult use at a national level.

The measure was proposed by representatives of France Insoumise and signed by representatives of five other parliamentary groups.

In addition to legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, the measure would create a regulated adult-use cannabis industry in France.

Unfortunately, the initial political forecast was that the measure would not pass. However, France does not operate in a vacuum, and external political and economic pressure can have surprising results.

Marijuana is currently legal in France for limited medical purposes as part of a national trial. As of 2020, personal possession of marijuana has been legalized.

Marijuana legalization spreads in Europe

As mentioned, Europe recently saw its first country legalize adult-use marijuana after Maltese lawmakers passed legalization measures.

Several other countries are on the cusp of legalizing adult-use cannabis in Europe, including Germany, Italy and Luxembourg.

Switzerland and the Netherlands are stepping up adult-use pilot programs in certain jurisdictions, and Switzerland already allows the legal sale of low-THC cannabis products.

All of this has put pressure on French lawmakers to be on the right side of history. They can no longer bury their heads in the sand and point fingers at other countries’ ban policies.

As more countries in Europe and the international community legalize adult-use cannabis, this adds to momentum in France to do so. It might not happen this year, but it might happen sooner or later.