France is known for having some of the strictest laws regarding marijuana in Europe – while simultaneously maintaining one of the highest rates of cannabis usage in the EU. A group of French senators – from the Socialist, Green and centre-right Les Républicains parties – are trying to change those laws, and call for marijuana to be legalised in France. The group of 31 co-signed a statement published in French newspaper, Le Monde, on August 10th. In the statement, the senators promised to launch a ‘consultation process’ to submit a bill to legalise marijuana in the coming months. Nearly one in two French people (45 percent) said they were in favour of legalisation, according to a survey by the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).