ABSTRACT: In January 1987 the Judge, Georges Apap, made a speech in favour of the depenalisation of drugs, on the occasion of the inauguration of the legal year in Valence, France. We are publishing an excerpt.

("Single issue" booklet for the XXXV Congress of The Radical Party - Budapest 22-26 april 1989)

I am not leading crusades against alcoholism and I have no intention of taking the part of alcohol producers.

I am stressing the tolerance, which is almost indifference, almost complacency, from which the general attitude as regards alcohol benefits. If you talk about someone who got rip-roaring drunk last night you will only provoke amusing comments and polite smiles. If on the other hand, you say to the same audience about the same person, that he was found taking a derivative of cannabis, or coca or the opium poppy, you will immediately see those smiles freeze and those faces harden.

You will object to me that this is because the use of narcotics is dangerous. I entirely agree. But if you replace the word "drugs" with the word "alcohol" you can tell me if the discussion has lost its significance. The only difference between the two phenomena is related to legal prohibition.

Without reaching the point of saying that severity only makes matters worse, it can at least be affirmed that this severity is no help in preventing it, and that prohibition is useless.

It has to be admitted one day that the tide of drug addiction like that of alcoholism is rising inexorably, with or without prohibition, until it reaches a final level where at last it will stabilise; and at this point we shall have to get used to it. Tolerance to drugs will follow tolerance to alcohol.

Regarding this, I cannot refrain from citing Jean Cocteau "Since the mystery surpasses us, let us claim we have organised it", and transposing it to our own theme say "Since this phenomenon is surpassing us, why shouldn't we organise it?"