France To Move Forward With Marijuana Decrim Proposal October 22, 2003 - Paris, France Paris, France: Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin is backing a plan to amend French law to downgrade marijuana possession to a fine-only offense, according to published reports in L'Express. The magazine says that the PM has "promised" to reform the 1970 law, which calls for a maximum penalty of one year in jail for minor marijuana offenses. The proposed change would eliminate the threat of jail time and instead impose a small fine on pot offenders. If enacted, the proposal would essentially ratify what is already existing police practice, as fewer than 10 percent of marijuana possession cases are prosecuted by French authorities. France is one of only a handful of European nations that has not formally decriminalized cannabis possession and use. For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-8751. A summary of European marijuana laws is available online at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5445 http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5793