Home Growing Flourishes in France, Europe's Cannabis Consumption Leader

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction recently published its annual report on the Continent's most consumed substances, concluding that cannabis is a plant in high demand among Europeans, with 78.9 million people recognizing having consumed it.

France is the Continental country with the most cannabis users. Specifically, 40.9% of the French ages 15 to 64 have tried marijuana, surpassing Denmark (with 35.6% of its population) and Spain (at 30.4%) - third in the ranking - and the Netherlands (25.7%). Meanwhile, Bulgaria (7.5%), Malta (4.3%) and Romania (1.6%) are the countries with the fewest consumers.

Why does France stand out in terms of its cannabis consumption? Among other things, because it occupies a key location for commerce in the plant. It is the connection between the countries of the Maghreb and Europe, which means that the product is readily available, according to François Bek, director of the French observatory.

In recent years the country has also seen a surge in production, which has favoured the proliferation of home growing. Many new growers believe that consuming their own harvests is much easier and less problematic (for questions of product quality) than getting cannabis through the traditional sales routes. Home growing also serves to stifle the black market and drug trafficking.

However, these new crops still face quite a few difficulties: the Police don't make things easy, and the mafia networks previously controlling production, now hit with a dip in their profits, are beginning to act against those who are just getting started in the growing world. Still, more than a few French have decided to produce their own plants and to abandon the regular distribution channels. According to estimates, the number of cannabis growers in France has risen to some 200,000.

Along with those with no experience at all in cultivation there are professional farmers who have set their lettuce and tomatoes aside to dedicate themselves to marijuana production. Jean-Pierre is one of them, having reorganised his old greenhouse and outfitted it with all the necessary tools - lights, automatic irrigation, fertilisers, etc.–for cannabis cultivation.

To avoid raids and robberies, many opt to grow outdoors, in very green areas that are secluded and forested, or in the heart of fields of wheat and corn to protect the plants from multiple threats and keep them away from the mafias. All that's needed is a clearing surrounded by shrubs and away from any trails, or even trees where one can hang pots of marijuana between the branches–and to be as discreet as possible when it comes time to cultivate or keep an eye on the plants. Then all that remains is to find a way to irrigate the plants and to fend off insects and plagues.

According to the European Observatory the French have embraced a new type of consumption based on more natural marijuana, shunning resin, especially due to the “bio” craze sweeping across the country. This trend also has favoured the creation of private, healthy and natural marijuana orchards.

This scenario has provided a good opportunity for those users who are leery when it comes to the quality of the marijuana they buy from third parties, often in violation of the law. They believe that cultivating it themselves will always be more beneficial, as they don't have to travel great distances or search for someone to trust with something as important as what they consume.