PRESS RELEASE
French Academy of Medicine
April 9, 2025
Legalizing “recreational” cannabis use would cause
serious public health problems
The idea of legalizing recreational use of cannabis has repeatedly reappeared in the political debate, with the argument that such use would not, in practice, pose any public health problems.
However, since 20211 and 20232, the dates when the French Academy of Medicine already expressed its opinion, recently published medical data have confirmed, on the contrary, the problems occurred in countries where such legalization has been introduced:
– An increase of between 12 and 22% in the number of hospitalizations due to cannabis among adults, such as in Ontario3, and a 3-fold increase in the number of hospitalizations among children aged 0 to 9 years after poisoning by absorption of cannabis-based products in Canada4;
– Doubling the proportion of motorists hospitalized after a road accident tested positive for THC (Canada before and after legalisation5);
– A threefold increase in the number of psychotic patients in Canada. The proportion of new cases of schizophrenia associated with cannabis use rose from 3.7% before legalization to 10.3% after legalization, with young men aged 19 to 24 being the most vulnerable. The risk of developing psychotic disorders has also been multiplied by 11 among 12 to 19 year olds6;
– Contrary to what is stated in French Parliamentary Report 974 of February 17, 2025, amending the legislation would not provide access to substitution treatment for high-risk users, as there is still no such treatment for cannabis or cocaine.
Similarly, literature data contradict other allegations made by the advocates of legalization:
– An increase, not a decrease, in consumption and maintenance of the illicit market
The prevalence of cannabis use increased after legalization in both Canada and the USA. In the USA, where there is already a fairly large body of experience, the number of users has increased 20-fold, from 0.9 million in 1992, before legalization, to 17.7 million after legalization in many states. The number of daily cannabis users now exceeds that of alcohol users7.
In countries where cannabis has been legalized, the black market has not disappeared. Legal cannabis will always be more expensive than illegal tax-free cannabis. The market has even shifted towards drugs with more significant health effects (Uruguay, USA, Canada8).-
– Control of a minimum THC content in cannabis has not been achieved
As demonstrated in Uruguay where THC levels in legal cannabis have increased from 2% at the time of legalization to 15% today9. How to get users accustomed to 15 or 20% THC levels to consume low-dose cannabis?
– It is paradoxical to propose legalization as a means of prevention and even to fund it.
Legalizing cannabis in order to educate and prevent young people, in particular by emphasizing its harmful effects, is illogical, when allowing adults to obtain it freely will inevitably makes its use more attractive to younger people.
The French Academy of Medicine,
Considering:
–The current situation in France regarding cannabis consumption;
–The demonstrated health risk of its legalization in the light of the scientific literature published in countries where it has already taken place;
–The failure of this policy regarding consumption;
Recommends:
– to maintain the ban on the sale and consumption of cannabis in France, given all its toxic effects;
– to continue and expand prevention and information programs on the toxicity of this drug, from the earliest age, in order to reduce the high level of consumption in France, the highest in Europe, that legalization could only exacerbate.
References
– Joint press release from the French Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy of April 7, 2021: Citizen consultation on “recreational” cannabis: a political choice in clear conflict with public health.
– Press release from the French Academy of Medicine of October 23, 2023: Legalizing the “recreational” use of cannabis would be a serious health mistake.
– Myran DT, Pugliese M, Tanuseputro P, et al. The association between recreational cannabis legalization, commercialization, and cannabis-attributable emergency department visits in Ontario, Canada: an interrupted time-series analysis. Addiction 2022; 117:1952-60
– Myran DT, Tanuseputro P, Auger N, et al. Pediatric hospitalizations for unintentional cannabis poisonings and all-cause poisonings associated with edible cannabis product legalization and sales in Canada. JAMA Health Forum 2023; 4:e225041
– Brubacher JR, Chan H, Erdelyi S, et al. Cannabis legalization and detection of tetrahydrocannabinol in injured drivers. N Engl J Med 2022; 386:148-56
– Myran DT et al., Changes in incident schizophrenia diagnoses associated with cannabis use disorder after cannabis legalization. JAMA Network Open, 2025; 8(2): e2457868
– Caulkins JP, Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022. Addiction, 2024; 119(9): 1648-1652.
– Gonzalez-Nieto P et al., Not just fentanyl: Understanding the complexities of the unregulated opioid supply through results from a drug checking service in British Columbia, Canada. Int J Drug Policy. 2025; 138:104751.
– https://latinamericareports.com/uruguayan-pharmacies-to-offer-cannabis-with-higher-thc-levels/9971/
PRESS CONTACT: Virginie Gustin +33 (0)6 62 52 43 42 virginie.gustin@academie-medecine.fr
ACADÉMIE NATIONALE DE MÉDECINE, 16 rue Bonaparte – 75272 Paris cedex 06
Web site: www.academie-medecine.fr / Twitter : @Acadmed
