Drug Tests for Ministries: Lecornu Orders Sweeping Screenings and Sparks Debate

In the event of positive test results, the ministries would have to "examine the consequences to be drawn, including disciplinary ones," the circular continues. At the same time, employees who test positive should be "systematically offered a referral to medical facilities" – a mix of repressive and caring lines that is fueling discussion in Paris.

Trigger: delayed drug plan

The trigger for the order is, according to reports in the newspaper "Les Échos," a plan drawn up by the government against drug trafficking containing a total of around 50 measures. The tests are only one sub-point within it, but the publication of the overall package has been postponed several times. Lecornu decided to fast-track the narrowly defined portion of the testing requirement in order to increase pressure to act.

The Prime Minister's reasoning follows a clear logic: "For me, this is a question of exemplary behavior; furthermore, a person who takes drugs makes themselves vulnerable." Especially officials with access to intelligence information cannot afford to do so, even if they consume prohibited substances only in a private setting. The argument points to a tension between personal freedom and state responsibility.

Political reactions

The political debate ran along the usual fault lines. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon defended the line on broadcaster BFMTV: "Everyone must take responsibility." The parliamentary group leader of the governing party, Gabriel Attal, told broadcaster France Info that he harbored "no suspicion" toward his staff and members of parliament, but expressly supported the order.

Criticism came mainly from the opposition ranks. After the Prime Minister's announcement, two parliamentarians requested that the drug tests be extended to members of parliament as well. This demand gained additional explosiveness due to an incident in October 2024, when the MP from the left-wing party La France Insoumise, Andy Kerbrat, was arrested in a Paris metro station while purchasing synthetic drugs.

The Kerbrat case had caused a stir across party lines at the time. It fueled the question of how credible a state anti-drug policy can be when its representatives themselves violate the rules. Lecornu's order must also be seen against this backdrop.

Background and individual cases

According to a report by the investigative sheet "Le Canard enchaîné," one of Lecornu's advisers already had to leave office at the end of 2025 due to drug use. This episode, sources close to the Prime Minister say, also contributed to the tightening of the rules. Silence was agreed upon regarding the adviser's identity.

Former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau had already advocated in October 2024 for a tougher approach in drug policy. His demands at the time have now found their way into a circular that goes significantly further than the existing legal situation: while drug use in France is already an offense today, with a standard fine of 200 euros, systematic tests within the civil service had previously been uncommon.

What reach the order can actually develop remains open. The newspaper "Libération" raised the question of whether job interviews could in future also be linked to a saliva test – and whether résumés would in future have to include the note "does not consume drugs." The government responded cautiously.

Government spokesperson Bregeon also told "Libération" that a test was conceivable only in cases of conspicuous behavior and a danger to the person concerned and others. This signaled a narrower interpretation of the circular than the wording initially suggested. The discrepancy between ambition and implementation is likely to further fuel the debate.

In substance, the government relies on drastic words. "I want to tell you that behind every joint, behind every line of cocaine, there are drug dealers, pimps and criminals," several media quoted from the Prime Minister's explanations. Moreover: "You cannot mourn the victims of drug trafficking in the neighborhoods while at the same time taking drugs on Saturday nights." The rhetoric clearly aims at a moral rearmament of the debate.

Scale of the problem

The newspaper "Le Monde" summarized the government's reaction with the words that the state cannot pursue a clear policy against drug trafficking and its societal consequences "without subjecting itself to the same requirements." This names the argumentative core of the order: credibility both internally and externally.

The societal backdrop is significant. In France, with around 66 million inhabitants, an estimated at least seven million people regularly use cannabis, and around one million consume cocaine. The government sees this not only as a public health issue but also as a security policy problem – especially with regard to the public administration and the armed forces.

Internationally, the measure attracted attention, not least because of a comparison: in the year 2000, a media report about alleged traces of cocaine in the toilets of the Berlin Reichstag had caused a stir. However, no serious evidence of actual consumption in the parliamentary building emerged. The episode shows how difficult it is to verify the accusation of drug use in state spaces – a problem the French government now also faces.

In the end, it remains open whether the order will primarily have a symbolic effect or actually carry disciplinary consequences. The reactions from the ministries, the initial test results, and the parliamentary debate over extending the measure to members of parliament will show whether Lecornu is initiating a new phase of French drug policy with his circular – or whether the initiative fizzles out in administrative routine.

Sébastien Lecornu himself summed up the thrust with a view to the upcoming national anti-drug plan: "Drug consumption is an offense in France." The question of whether the state can hold itself to its own standard will be measured by the results of the mass screenings.