Workbook 1.1: Drug policy

FRANÇAIS :
Les grandes orientations stratégiques de la politique française de lutte contre les addictions figurent dans la lettre de mission du 17 octobre 2012. Le gouvernement affirme sa vision pour une démarche globale et la responsabilité de la mise en œuvre des mesures à prendre dans ce domaine est confiée à la présidente de la Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les drogues et les conduites addictives (MILDECA). Sous l'autorité du Premier ministre, la MILDECA est chargée d'assurer la coordination et la mise en place de la politique gouvernementale. Le 19 septembre 2013, le plan gouvernemental de lutte contre la drogue et les conduites addictives 2013-2017 a été adopté lors d'un comité interministériel présidé par le Premier ministre en présence de l'ensemble des ministres concernés. Ce plan prône un approche exhaustive et globale envers l'ensemble des addictions, c'est-à-dire les usages liés aux substances psychoactives, licites ou illicites (stupéfiants, alcool, tabac, médicaments et nouveaux produits de synthèse) et aux autres formes de conduites addictives (jeux d'argent et de hasard, jeux vidéo, dopage).
ENGLISH:
The current overarching general principles of French drug policy were stated in a mission letter on 17 October 2012. The Government stated its vision for the actions to be taken in this policy area as being of a global and integrated nature, entrusting responsibility for their implementation to the chairperson of the Interministerial Mission for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behaviours (MILDECA). The MILDECA reports to the Prime Minister and is in charge of developing the national strategies and actions plans and coordinating their implementation. France's Government Plan for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behaviours 2013-17 was endorsed by the Interministerial Committee chaired by the Prime Minister on 19 September 2013. Its approach is a comprehensive and global one towards illicit and licit drugs (narcotics, alcohol, tobacco, psychotropic medicines and new synthetic products) and other forms of addictive behaviours (gambling, gaming, doping). The 2013-17 strategy is structured around three main priorities:
1. To base public action on observation, research and evaluation.
2. To take the most vulnerable populations into consideration to reduce risks and health and social harm.
3. To reinforce safety, tranquility and public health, both locally and internationally, by fighting drug trafficking and all forms of criminality related to psychoactive substance use.
The 2013-2017 Government Plan for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behaviours also emphasises the need for developing "evaluative" research, preferably in connection with the academic world in order to obtain reliable, independent and useful results for the public authorities to improve the effectiveness of public action. Hence, an external evaluation of this plan, based on a qualitative analysis of four measures of the 2013-2015 Action Plan, will be conducted by a team from the Sciences Po institution. In addition, the evaluation of the degree to which the objectives of the plan have been achieved was entrusted to the OFDT.
In 2013 total drug-related expenditure represented 0.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) (approximately €2 billion), with 58% of the total for demand reduction initiatives, 39% for supply reduction activities and 2% allocated for crossed activities (research, training, observation, evaluation, coordination and international cooperation).