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DRUGS

Drugs: French seizures of khat and cannabis soar

Cannabis seizures in France soared last year according to an end-of-year report by French customs officials. Marijuana was not the only illegal substance that was confiscated in huge amounts in 2013. An incredible 44 tomes of the khat was impounded at Channel ports.

Drugs: French seizures of khat and cannabis soar
French customs officers had a busy year in 2013 seizing 86 tonnes of cannabis and 49 tonnes of khat. Photo: Pierre Clatot/AFP

French customs officials have had a busy 2013 it seems if the amount of drugs they seized is anything to go by.

The country’s finance minister Pierre Moscovici revealed this week that authorities had confiscated an incredible 86 tonnes of cannabis in 2013. To put that in perspective, that’s more than three times as much as the 24 tonnes seized in 2012.

French customs officials told The Local the huge rise in the amount cannabis confiscated was mainly down to two huge seizures in the Mediterranean last year, including one in September when the French Navy impounded a boat containing 20 tonnes of the drug worth around €50 million (see below).

French Navy in record €50 million cannabis seizure

And it was not only marijuana that French customs officials were impounding by the truck load. In 2013 officers pulled in 7.2 tonnes of cocaine compared with 4.6 tonnes the previous year.

Moscovici was naturally proud of the efforts of his staff, congratulating them on their “exceptional results”.

Other items confiscated by authorities included:

  • 430 tonnes of tobacco compared to around 371 tonnes in 2012
  • 823 guns were confiscated in 2013, more than double the 401 impounded in 2012
  • 7.6 million counterfeit items were seized in 2013, again well up on the 4.6 million in 2012

But perhaps the most unbelievable haul of illegal substances last year was the 49 tonnes of khat, a hallucinogenic substance derived from a plant that originates in the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia. In 2012 a mere 4.5 tonnes of the plant, which is prohibited to varying degrees in 17 countries in the EU, was confiscated.

Leaves of the khat shrub are chewed and held in the cheek, like chewing tobacco, which releases stimulant chemicals that can affect the brain for up to 24 hours. It can make the user feel euphoric and more alert before the effects wear off and leave them "in a depressed mood."

A spokesperson for French customs told The Local that the ten-fold rise in the amount of khat seized was due in large part to the Netherlands moving to ban the substance in January 2013.

Since then a trafficking network was set up to transport the drugs from the UK to the Netherlands via France. Most of the 49 tonnes of khat were seized at the Channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk.

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DRUGS

Germany should make cannabis available at pharmacies not ‘coffee shops’, says FDP boss

Germany's possible new government could well relax the country's strict cannabis laws. But FDP leader Christian Lindner says he doesn't want to go down the Netherlands route.

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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