The Médecine academic of France re -issued a firm warning against the legalization of recreational cannabis. In a statement published in early April, the institution reiterated its position, supporting a selection of international studies and figures that point to an increase in health risks in countries where regulation is already in force.
However, they report from Newsweed, which the institution completely omitted the adverse consequences of the prohibition itself, such as the boom of the black market, the criminalization of the consumers or the lack of regulation on the products that circulate clandestinely.
The statement affirms that legalizing cannabis “would cause serious problems in terms of public health.” To sustain this warning, Canada figures are cited, where there was an increase of 12% to 22% in hospitalizations related to cannabis consumption between adults, or the increase of up to three times in hospital income of young children due to accidental ingestions of groceries with THC. It is also mentioned that traffic accidents with drivers who tested positive for THC would have doubled.
Even more alarming, according to the Academy, would be the impact on mental health. In their statement they cite an alleged increase in schizophrenia diagnoses associated with cannabis consumption in young people between 19 and 24 years old, from 3.7% to 10.3% after legalization. Among adolescents from 12 to 19 years, the risk of psychotic disorders would have multiplied by eleven.
-It also directly questions the conclusions of the parliamentary report No. 974, presented in February 2025, which defends regulation as a strategy to improve prevention and facilitate substitution treatments. “These treatments do not exist, neither for cannabis nor for cocaine,” says the institution. It also refutes that the legalization has weakened to the illegal market, although omits to mention that in Canada between 75% and 95% of sales are already carried out in the legal market.
Regarding the power regulation of cannabis, it is alerted to the increase in THC in authorized products. “In Uruguay, the THC level went from 2% to 15%,” says the statement, and then launching a rhetorical question: “How do you get people accustomed to rates of 15 or 20% to consume cannabis in low doses?”
The idea that legalizing can contribute to prevention is also criticized, describing it as “paradoxical.” According to the Academy, legal access would normalize consumption in adolescents. However, international studies show that in countries where it has been legalized, such as Canada or some US states, youth consumption has decreased.
The academy’s position has generated reactions. The Collectif Pour UNE Nouvelle Politique Des drugs (CNPD), made up of entities such as Médecins Du Monde, SOS Addictions and Fédération Addiction, issued a statement in which he criticizes the “exclusively repressive” approach and advocates a health -centered model. For CNPD, the prohibition contributes to social marginalization, prevents access to information and services, and keeps users under the risk of adulterated products.
