The new centrist government is preparing to soften legislation, making users caught with cannabis liable for an instant fine of 150-200 euros ($180-250) instead of prosecution and the threat of a one-year jail term.
The change was an election campaign pledge from President Emmanuel Macron last year, justified on the grounds that it would reduce the time spent by the police and judiciary on criminal cases involving recreational smokers.
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The plan has been backed by a cross-party report for parliament, set to be unveiled on Wednesday, which rejects the idea of legalizing the drug despite gains worldwide for a radical change in policy.
"At the moment we have procedures that complicate the lives of our police and court officials for not much in terms of results," Christophe Castaner, the head of Macron's Republic On The Move (LREM), said Monday.
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