Presented as one “modern and efficient” solution, the system of fixed fines applicable (AFD) is today facing a significant institutional backlash. In a report published on April 15, the Court of Auditors concludes that this measure has only “limited” effectiveness and suffers from profound structural weaknesses, particularly in terms of enforcement and fairness.
These findings directly challenge one of the government’s main tools in the fight against drug users, including that of cannabis. Introduced in 2016 and extended to drug users in September 2020 under the leadership of LREM deputy Eric Poulliat, the AFD system was strongly supported by Emmanuel Macron’s political camp which played a central role in the development of this approach aimed at sanctioning consumers with rapid fines.
A policy designed to “hit the wallet”
The principle of AFD is simple: police officers and gendarmes can impose a fine for a minor offense on site using a mobile device. The person is immediately punished, without being taken into police custody, and the case bypasses traditional legal procedures. In theory, this was intended to reduce court congestion and enable a faster response from criminal justice.
This policy has become the cornerstone of the executive’s strategy to “empower” drug users. Emmanuel Macron personally reaffirmed this approach during a visit to Marseille on December 16, defending the idea of financially punishing consumers and announcing that l’fine would be doubled to reach 500 euros.
The message was clear: drug use, whether joints, crack or cocaine, would be treated as a direct target of law enforcement.
A system that produces numbers, not results
The Court of Auditors paints a very different picture. According to its report, the AFD system failed to “achieve the objectives […] in terms of simplifying and improving the effectiveness of the criminal response”.
The scale of the deployment was massive. In 2024 alone, almost 500,000 AFD were issued, compared to only 57,300 in 2019. These fines now represent approximately 10% of all recorded offenses in France.
But the Court warns against the misleading nature of these figures, which, according to it, give rise to statistics that are flattering for the Ministry of the Interior rather than real effectiveness on the ground. The institution suggests that this tool is sometimes used to display police presence rather than to improve judicial outcomes.
A failure in recovery: 1.1 billion euros still unpaid
Perhaps the most striking criticism concerns the execution. The Court of Auditors notes that the payment rate is extremely low, reaching only 24% according to one estimate.
Read more
