Over 17 million of France's 66 million-strong population have tried cannabis, according to France's National Observatory of Drugs and Drug Abuse.

French politicians across the board on Tuesday slammed a Socialist minister's call to legalise marijuana, re-igniting the debate in a country where cannabis use is common.

A day after minister for parliamentary relations Jean-Marie Le Guen said prohibition had not caused drug use to fall, his own party called decriminalisation a bad idea.

Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said a softer approach to marijuana would show "we have let our guard down in the fight against drugs."

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France24.com ~