Directors at French Guiana’s main international airport have sent out a letter to air-traffic controllers there asking them to lay off the pot and other hallucinogenic substances during their shifts.

"/> Directors at French Guiana’s main international airport have sent out a letter to air-traffic controllers there asking them to lay off the pot and other hallucinogenic substances during their shifts.

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Air traffic controllers asked not to smoke up during shifts

Directors at French Guiana’s main international airport have sent out a letter to air-traffic controllers there asking them to lay off the pot and other hallucinogenic substances during their shifts.

Published: 15 July 2011 16:20 CEST

The letter, which was obtained by the newspaper Le Figaro, informed air traffic controllers at Cayenne Rochambeau airport that certain behaviours were “incompatible with safety.”

Those include drinking alcohol in the control tower, smoking marijuana or taking hallucinogenic drugs.

“Psychoactive substances affect the brain in that they diminish certain judgment and reasoning abilities and prolong reaction times,” the letter dated June 28th read.

“These effects are not compatible with air traffic control duties. That is why consuming alcohol or other psychoactive substances, under any form, is prohibited during the entire length of a work shift.”

In order to avoid any misunderstanding the letter laid out in detail what the management had in mind.

“The aforementioned psychoactive substances include the following: alcohol, opiates, cannabinoids, sedatives, soporifics, cocaine, psychostimulants, hallucinogens and volatile solvents.“

Cayenne Rochambeau ranked last year as the 27th busiest French airport, processing some 420,000 passengers, and is serviced by Air France and Air Caraïbes. French Guiana is a French overseas territory in South America sandwiched between Brazil and Suriname.

In addition to directing flights in and out of the airport, controllers also supervise air traffic throughout French Guiana as well as over an area of the Atlantic Ocean approximately twice the size of France. In 2010, controllers there filed a complaint about having too much work.

“Consuming cannabis and alcohol has unfortunately spread in those professions that demand a high level of concentration,“ an aviation expert told Le Figaro. “In the case of air traffic control, where decisions have to be made quickly, such consumption can have dramatic consequences.“

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A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021.

A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government. And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.

In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.

However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed.

The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner.

Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.

Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.

READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana

People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual.

Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.

It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model.

The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.

The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.

The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects.

READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis

Controversial topic

So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.

However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.

The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.

It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.

Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.

Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.

The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said.

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