French officials have been tested for drugs for a few weeks (symbolic image).Image: imago
July 22, 2026, 3:26 p.mJuly 22, 2026, 3:26 p.m
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu caused a stir a few weeks ago with the announcement of drug tests for government officials and employees in ministries – now the first layoffs have occurred.
Several employees had to leave after positive test results, said Lecornu in an interview with the magazine “Paris Match”. “Many say I did it to make an example,” said Lecornu. “That’s correct. But I did it primarily for safety reasons.” Many of the employees who were subjected to drug checks had access to “extremely sensitive” information, the prime minister told the magazine.
In mid-June, Lecornu issued a circular instructing the government to carry out “unannounced and mandatory screening in the form of saliva tests”.
The heads of departments should test “the members of your ministry as well as the holders of positions subordinate to the government” – i.e. high-ranking officials and “staff subject to security clearance” – for drug use, French media quoted the letter as saying. “In the event of positive test results, you will examine the consequences to be drawn, including from a disciplinary point of view.”
The state should remain credible in the fight against drugs
In addition to protecting sensitive information at a high government level, another reason for government drug testing is that the state wants to remain credible in its fight against drug crime.
Image: keystone
As Lecornu told “Paris Match,” drug trafficking represents “the biggest domestic political challenge that our country is currently facing and will be facing in the coming years.” He spoke of almost a million consumers in France. “This affects all levels of society.” Politics is not spared from this either.
However, the state’s fight against drugs only remains credible if those who wage it are themselves above reproach. “You can’t condemn the murders of 16-year-olds in the suburbs and at the same time tolerate drug use in the chic neighborhoods.”
Checks continue
That is why the drug controls in the government and ministries are not a one-off operation. “The tests are carried out based on a random factor. They will be continued. And I have no doubt that my successors will perhaps go even further.”
A few weeks ago, the drug testers arrived unannounced at the Hôtel de Matignon, the seat of government. A sigh of relief afterwards: The prime minister and his staff were clean, the broadcaster TF1 reported. (nil/sda/dpa)