Farid Ghehiouèche

Farid Ghehiouèche (born in 1971 in Villefranche-sur-Saône) is a French author, activist and politician, known for his involvement for cannabis and other drugs liberalization, and in pacifist, ecologist, freedom of speech, gender equality, right of asylum and prison abolition social movements. He has been active since the 1990s in France and in international organizations (European Union and United Nations).^[1]

Farid Ghehiouèche
Ghehiouèche (1st on the left) with FAAAT's leadership at the Vienna International Centre in 2018
Born	(1971-07-25) 25 July 1971 (age 52) Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Citizenship	France
Occupation(s)	Essayist, activist
Organization(s)	ASUD, ENCOD, FAAAT, Info Birmanie, NORML France
Known for	Cannabis legalization
Political party	Cannabis Without Borders
Other political affiliations	Formerly: The Greens, Pirate Party
Board member of	Board member: ENCOD, ASUD

Since 2023, he has been chairman of the non-governmental organization ENCOD^[2] and was selected as a member of the Standing Scientific Committee on Psychotropics, Narcotics and Addiction of the French Medicines Agency.^[3]

Biography

From mixed French and Algerian descent, Farid Ghehiouèche was born on 25 July 1971 in the Ain region of France. He spent his early years between Jassans-Riottier (Beaujolais) and Coligny (Revermont [fr]), next to Bourg-en-Bresse, Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône, before moving to Paris in 1992.^[4]

As an activist, Ghehiouèche started as coordinator of Info Birmanie (Info Burma) between 1993 and 2006^[5] where he authored articles and books on the human rights situation in Myanmar,^[6] protesting in particular forced labour by the French oil company Total in the country.^[7] In parallel, he became active member of the French Green party, and was the party's coordinator on drug policies between 1998 and 2008.^[8]

On 1 May 1999, Ghehiouèche attended London's Million Marijuana March, after which he became involved in cannabis activism. Since the, Ghehiouèche has been involved with a number of associations and NGOs on the discussions around drug policy reform and drug-related harm reduction, in France and abroad.

Ghehiouèche also participated alongside Michel Sitbon in editing and printing houses Éditions du Lézard and Éditions Trouble-Fête and the associated Lady Long Solo library in Paris' 11th district, that he described as "a place of emulation where projects and ideas come together."^[9] He was later involved in launching FAAAT's editions.^[10]

Electoral campaigns

In March 2008, Ghehiouèche ran for Mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône under the list "Chalon oxygene–liste verte et ouverte" for the Green party, obtaining 436 votes (2.61%).^[11]

After leaving the Green party in 2008, Ghehiouèche ran as candidate in several French and European elections, most often under his political platform Cannabis Without Borders (Cannabis sans frontières or CSF):

• Presidential elections:
  • In 2012, he attempted to run for President of France, but could not obtain the necessary supports required to file his candidacy.
• European Parliament elections:
  • In 2009, he headed the list "CSF–Mouvement pour les libertés" (movement for freedom), obtaining 4,015 votes (0.02%);^[12]
  • In 2014, he ran with the list "CSF–Stop la prohibition" (stop prohibition), obtaining 7,176 votes (0.23%).^[13]
• Legislative elections:
  • In 2012, he ran under the banner "FARID: Force Autonome de Résistance par l'Imagination et la Démocratie" (Force of Autonomous Resistance for Imagination and Democracy),^[14] obtaining 187 votes (0.42%) in Essonne's 8th constituency;
  • In 2017, he obtained 159 votes (0.42%) under the list of the French Pirate Party in the same constituency;
  • In the 2021 by-elections, he obtained 63 votes (0.54%) in Paris's 15th constituency.^[15]
• Regional elections:
  • In 2015, Ghehiouèche ran in the Île-de-France region^[16] as part of the list Fédération libertaire unitaire ouverte (FLUO) grouping the French Pirate Party, Cannabis without Borders, and other groups. The list obtained 797 votes (0.22%) in the Essonne department, where Ghehiouèche was running, and a total of 9,593 votes (0.3%) in the region.

Public figure

In France, Ghehiouèche is known as a controversial public figure, often performing with cannabis plants or joints in public events or in television to generate public debate and controversy.^[17] As organizer of the Global Marijuana March in Paris since 2001, he has often been in confrontation with French authorities about the organization of this event due to a provision in French law (Article L. 3421-1 of the public health code) banning positive speech related to narcotic drugs, stating that the "provocation to commit the offence [of cannabis use], even if such provocation has not been followed up, or the fact of presenting these offences in a favorable light, shall be punishable by five years’ imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros"^[18]

Ghehiouèche has been defending the Spanish model of cannabis social clubs in the media,^[19] at the French National Assembly and Senate, and at the UN^[20] on several occasions. Since 2023, he has been member of the Drugs Advisory Committee of the ANSM, the French Medicines Agency.

Publications

Ghehiouèche co-authored several policy reports,^[21] scholarly papers,^[22] and books.^[23]

International advocacy

From 2003 onwards,^[4] Ghehiouèche attended the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, Austria, as part of different NGO delegations and as media reporter. He collaborated with organizations such as the Italian Transnational Radical Party,^[24] DRCNet Foundation, Society for Threatened Peoples,^[25] among others. He was involved in bringing drug policy reform figures to the United Nations such as Doug Fine or Dana Beal.^[26] His involvement led some like Sitbon top describe him as a "pioneer in legalization-related international relations."^[1]

Ghehiouèche has been particularly active at the UN and European Union levels^[27] through his involvement in the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) since 2003. He was elected ENCOD's president in 2023.^[28]

In 2015, Ghehiouèche co-founded the think-tank FAAAT with activist Michael Krawitz among others,^[29] an NGO with which he was particularly involved in the World Health Organization and CND's processes of cannabis scheduling changes under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.^[30]

References

1. Kremp, Marion (2021-08-06). "Farid Ghehiouèche, 20 ans de combat pour la légalisation du cannabis". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
2. "ENCOD Address Germany - December 2023". ENCOD. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
3. ANSM (2023). "Décision n° 2023-128 du 27/07/2023 - Nomination auprès du Comité scientifique permanent « Psychotropes, stupéfiants et addictions » de l'ANSM" [Decision no. 2023-128 of 07/27/2023 - Appointment to the ANSM Standing Scientific Committee on Psychotropics, Narcotics and Addiction].
4. Hullot-Guiot, Kim. "Farid Ghehiouèche, hasch de raison". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
5. François, Ludovic (2007). "Les affrontements par l'information entre les entreprises et la société civile : l'activisme judiciaire en question". Market Management. 2 (7): 65–90.
6. Khiasma; Info-Birmanie, eds. (2008). Birmanie, la peur est une habitude (Nouvelle éd ed.). Paris: Éd. de Tournon-Carabas. ISBN 978-2-35100-409-8.
7. "Dossier : Kouchner total mercenaire - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières". www.europe-solidaire.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
8. Ghehiouèche, Farid (2004). "La drogue et les verts" [Drugs and the Green party]. Communication, politique et société (Le cadrage politique de la drogue : autour de Howard S. Becker): 119–122. ISBN 978-2-915584-00-4.
9. "La libraire Lady Long Solo, sanctuaire du CBD et bastion de la légalisation du cannabis". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
10. Bibliothèque nationale de France. "General Catalogue - FAAAT editions". catalogue.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
11. "Municipales : les résultats à Chalon-sur-Saône - 2008, Tour 1". L'Internaute (in French). 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
12. Aubron, Arnaud (2009-06-09). "4000 petits votes pour Cannabis sans frontières". L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
13. . 2016-10-08. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
14. . 2012-05-31. Archived from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
15. "Législatives partielles : Brigitte Bourguignon réélue, le PS conserve son siège à Paris | LCP - Assemblée nationale". La Chaîne parlementaire (in French). 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
16. "Le cannabis : une plante médicinale encore taboue". Le Parisien (in French). 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
17. Garin, Clément (2018-11-12). "Malaise dans Balance ton poste : un invité sort un sachet de cannabis en plein direct sur C8" [Discomfort in the show Balance ton post: a guest pulls out a bag of cannabis live on C8]. www.telestar.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
18. Pourrez, Aurélie; Crespel, Elodie; Djahanchahi, Stéphane; Galibert, Olivier; Cordelier, Benoît (2020-10-28), Morillon, Laurent (ed.), "Ethical Positions Arising from Research on Online Communities in the Health Sector", Health Research Practices in a Digital Context (1 ed.), Wiley, pp. 75–92, doi:10.1002/9781119779933.ch5, ISBN 978-1-78630-438-4, retrieved 2024-01-30
19. "Le Cannabis social club au cœur de la Marche mondiale du cannabis 2013". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
20. Ghehiouèche, Farid; Riboulet-Zemouli, Kenzi (2016). Cannabis Social Club International Proposal Group: Policy for the XXI st Century. Vienna: UNODC.
21. Cannabis & sustainable development: paving the way for the next decade in cannabis and hemp policies recommendations for the implementation of cannabis policies aligned with international human rights standards, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the 2016 UNGASS outcome document (3e éd augmentée ed.). Vienna: FAAAT éditions. 2019. ISBN 979-10-97087-34-0.
22. Šikić, Jasminka (2020-07-21). "WHO's Recent Activity: Better Late than Never, However..." Ilesol Pharmaceuticals. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
23. "Farid Ghehiouèche's ORCID page (0000-0002-8492-1397)". ORCID. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
24. UNODC, Secretariat to the Governing Bodies (2015). Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Fifty-eighth session, including its special segment; Vienna, 9-17 March 2015: List of participants (PDF). E/CN.7/2015/INF/2/Rev.1. Vienna: United Nations. p. 42.
25. UNODC, Secretariat to the Governing Bodies (2013). Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Fifty-sixth session; Vienna, 11-15 March 2013: List of participants (PDF). E/CN.7/2013/INF/2. Vienna: UN.
26. StreetPress. "Un militant anti-prohibition du cannabis à l'Onu". StreetPress (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
27. ululeES. "#ProCannabisTeam à l'ONU • Mission 2016". Ulule (in Catalan). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
28. "Our Team: Executive committee". ENCOD. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
29. Capri, Che (2019-04-25). "International Cannabis Policy: A Game of Two Halves". Weed World Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
30. Capri, Che (2019-06-08). "UN Members to vote on the Downgrading of Cannabis by Che Capri". Weed World Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-30.