Lump-sum fines for drug use: Fewer minors are arrested for drug use

A lump-sum fine for drug use was introduced in France in 2020 to strengthen the fight against drugs. This reform allows the security services to fine drug users who have reached the age of majority directly at the scene of the offense rather than opening proceedings at a police station or gendarmerie brigade, which would then be transmitted to the courts.
Using exhaustive data from the Ministry of the Interior listing all suspected drug offenders registered in France by the police and gendarmerie, we estimate that the introduction of these fines led to a sharp increase in the number of offenders for drug use (+39%), accompanied by a sharp fall in the proportion (-50%) and volume (-5,700) of minor offenders in 2021. However, these trends differ greatly from one geographical area to another.