The youngest prime minister France has ever known, openly gay and who admits to having used cannabis, that obviously doesn't happen every four mornings. But do we really know Gabriel Attal's position on cannabis?
His personal experience with cannabis
Gabriel Attal's first foray, to our knowledge, on the subject of cannabis was marked by a progressive position. In an interview given to BFMTV on January 15, 2020, Mr Attal insisted on the need for a global debate, encompassing questions of prevention, sanction and control.
Mr. Attal drew on his experience during a trip to Quebec, as part of his former functions related to youth, where cannabis had been legalized a few “months” earlier. [ndlr: années en fait].
He declared on Jean-Jacques Bourdin's microphone: “My conviction, the conviction that this gave me, is that the main issue is that of prevention. We cannot simply say: yes, we must legalize, without asking ourselves the question of how we support it.”
He thus said he was open to the debate on the legalization of cannabis, without personally declaring himself in favor of legalization despite the heavy reminders from Jean-Jacques Bourdin.
“What I don't want is to take a position on legalization, without considering what the prevention issues are,” he justified.
Attal's knowledge in this area also comes from his personal experience. When asked about his own relationship with cannabis, he candidly admitted to smoking in the past. However, he clarified that he was not a regular user and highlighted the negative impact he observed among his peers.
“I saw what it also produced for young people who were completely addicted, […] and I have seen young people who have been completely out of school and who have left all circuits, and that is not acceptable,” he noted.
In February 2023, while he was Minister for Public Accounts, he welcomed the record seizures of cannabis, demonstrating a move towards a more conservative point of view.
Now head of government, will he follow the same evolution as Emmanuel Macron, namely adopting a pro-prohibition position? Or will he remain faithful to his convictions which, on other subjects, have already evolved significantly since his beginnings in politics?
