https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Cocaine use in France has nearly doubled, with 1.1 million people having taken the drug at least once in 2023, according to a study published on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250115/cocaine-use-nearly-doubles-in-france-study Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:21:55 +0100 cocaine-use-nearly-doubles-in-france-study The trial of medical cannabis in France has been extended until March 2024, the government has announced. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230331/france-extends-medical-cannabis-trial-for-a-year Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:38:04 +0200 france-extends-medical-cannabis-trial-for-a-year Sealed bags containing cocaine with an estimated street value of €150million have washed up on the northern French coast in the past few days. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230303/two-tonnes-of-cocaine-washes-up-on-beaches-in-northern-france Fri, 03 Mar 2023 09:42:08 +0100 two-tonnes-of-cocaine-washes-up-on-beaches-in-northern-france France’s Economy Minister has praised the work of Bordeaux law officers, after they seized more than 2.4 tonnes of cannabis resin with an estimated street value in excess of €19 million. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230203/french-police-seize-2-4-tonnes-of-cannabis-near-bordeaux Fri, 03 Feb 2023 15:48:10 +0100 french-police-seize-2-4-tonnes-of-cannabis-near-bordeaux Paris police have dismantled a camp that is home to over 100 crack users, the latest move in a campaign that has repeatedly displaced the addicts around the capital. https://www.thelocal.fr/20221005/paris-police-dismantle-crack-users-camp Wed, 05 Oct 2022 15:02:46 +0200 paris-police-dismantle-crack-users-camp France’s highest administrative court has temporarily overturned a ban on the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) flowers and leaves in France, less than a month after it was introduced by the government. This is just the latest stage in France’s convoluted history with cannabis. https://www.thelocal.fr/20220126/cannabis-french-high-court-ruleing-puts-cbd-products-back-on-sale Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:27:33 +0100 cannabis-french-high-court-ruleing-puts-cbd-products-back-on-sale Crack and other drug users who had been allowed to spend days and nights in a park in northeastern Paris, causing an uproar among local residents, have been blocked from the site by Paris authorites. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210630/paris-mayor-bans-crack-addicts-from-park-after-protests-from-local-families Wed, 30 Jun 2021 17:55:00 +0200 paris-mayor-bans-crack-addicts-from-park-after-protests-from-local-families France's Europe minister on Monday called for "total transparency" over speculation that one of Italy's victorious Eurovision contestants used cocaine during the song contest, saying it should be grounds for disqualification if confirmed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210524/french-minister-calls-for-eurovision-winner-to-be-disqualified-if-singer-fails-drug-test Mon, 24 May 2021 16:40:16 +0200 french-minister-calls-for-eurovision-winner-to-be-disqualified-if-singer-fails-drug-test France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has promised action to move on crack dealers and users that have long blighted a part of northern Paris - but the solution is as unpalatable as the problem to some residents. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210519/how-paris-plans-to-tackle-its-crack-cocaine-problem-by-moving-addicts-elsewhere Wed, 19 May 2021 19:00:56 +0200 how-paris-plans-to-tackle-its-crack-cocaine-problem-by-moving-addicts-elsewhere French police will start hitting users of illicit drugs, especially cannabis, with on-the-spot fines starting in September, Prime Minister Jean Castex said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200725/france-to-hit-drug-users-with-200-euro-on-the-spot-fines Sat, 25 Jul 2020 16:54:06 +0200 france-to-hit-drug-users-with-200-euro-on-the-spot-fines Just a day after British artist Pete Doherty was released following a cocaine bust, French police arrested him again after a drunken brawl in Paris. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191111/french-police-arrest-british-rocker-pete-doherty-twice-in-three-days Mon, 11 Nov 2019 09:32:25 +0100 french-police-arrest-british-rocker-pete-doherty-twice-in-three-days A French court on Friday sentenced seven people implicated in a drug smuggling operation to up to 18 years in prison each with two ex-air force pilots getting six-year terms. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190406/seven-convicted-in-french-air-cocaine-smuggling-trial Sat, 06 Apr 2019 10:31:41 +0200 seven-convicted-in-french-air-cocaine-smuggling-trial A new study reveals where in France young people are smoking the most cannabis, drinking the most alcohol and puffing the most cigarettes... and there's a big difference in habits between the north and south. And what does this say about young people in Brittany? https://www.thelocal.fr/20180927/where-in-france-are-teens-taking-the-most-drugs Thu, 27 Sep 2018 12:17:30 +0200 where-in-france-are-teens-taking-the-most-drugs A Frenchman who served 18 years in custody for smuggling drugs into Bali was deported Saturday in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia's tough narcotics laws. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180721/indonesia-deports-french-drug-smuggler-after-18-years Sat, 21 Jul 2018 19:28:35 +0200 indonesia-deports-french-drug-smuggler-after-18-years French police said Friday that they had smashed a major drug trafficking ring in the southern city of Marseille, a key hub in the trans-Mediterranean cannabis and cocaine trade where several people are killed each year in turf wars. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180622/french-police-bust-major-marseille-drug-ring Fri, 22 Jun 2018 18:46:47 +0200 french-police-bust-major-marseille-drug-ring A new report reveals just how much the illegal drug trade contributes to the French economy each year. Here's what we learnt in figures. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180530/what-we-know-about-drug-trafficking-in-france-in-numbers Wed, 30 May 2018 13:40:30 +0200 what-we-know-about-drug-trafficking-in-france-in-numbers Most children's medication that you can buy over the counter is either useless and could even be dangerous for their health, a study by a French consumer group has concluded. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180222/french-parents-warned-most-childrens-counter-medicines-useless-or-dangerous Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:37:30 +0100 french-parents-warned-most-childrens-counter-medicines-useless-or-dangerous Grass Domestic Product: France has said that it will start including the money spent on illicit drugs when calculating its gross domestic product, a statistical shot in the arm for the country's economy. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180131/france-to-get-gdp-boost-by-including-sales-of-illicit-drugs Wed, 31 Jan 2018 10:18:41 +0100 france-to-get-gdp-boost-by-including-sales-of-illicit-drugs The French government announced on Thursday that it will slash fines on those caught smoking pot, despite cannabis use being on the rise in the country. Their aim is to lessen the work load on the overburdened police and the justice system. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180125/france-to-slash-fines-for-pot-smokers-despite-rise-in-cannabis-use Thu, 25 Jan 2018 16:01:14 +0100 france-to-slash-fines-for-pot-smokers-despite-rise-in-cannabis-use France's fight against cannabis, through tough laws to punish users, has long been a failure -- the French remain among Europe's biggest dope smokers. So will a change of strategy under President Emmanuel Macron have more success? https://www.thelocal.fr/20180123/france-to-soften-up-its-laws-on-smoking-cannabis-without-making-it-legal Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:41:04 +0100 france-to-soften-up-its-laws-on-smoking-cannabis-without-making-it-legal