Celine has almost 30 years experience organizing with harm reduction programs, developing new projects with drug users in Paris and internationally. She has built projects and established initiatives in Serbia, Tanzania and Burma, and also coordinated the opening of a drug consumption room in Paris in 2016

In France, drug consumption rooms (DCRs) remain under experimental status until December 2025. Despite positive evaluations of pilot programs, political support for these harm reduction measures is waning, with populist rhetoric framing them as promoting drug use rather than addressing public health. Médecins du Monde (MdM) has decided to sue the French state for obstructing the establishment of new DCRs and failing to provide a stable framework for the two existing ones in Paris and Strasbourg.

MdM has been a pioneering force in harm reduction in France, launching initiatives as early as the late 1980s. Since the mid-2000s, public funding allowed local organizations to take over many of these programs. However, political support has dwindled in recent years, prompting MdM to reinvest in harm reduction advocacy and reassert its position in favor of expanding these initiatives.

MdM consulted a law firm to explore the possibility of legal action. The firm concluded that two lawsuits were feasible: one at the national level and another at the local level.

The litigation seeks to achieve two primary objectives:
1. Media Impact – Reignite public debate on DCRs and protect the existing legal framework, which is at risk. A national lawsuit would hold the government accountable for its inaction on harm reduction policies, drawing significant media attention.
2. Legal Impact – Ensure the opening of a DCR in a local context, prioritizing Marseille, where plans to launch a facility in January 2024 were halted by authorities.

In HR25, the legal case will have been submitted, and the first updates will be available, offering a clearer outlook on the future of harm reduction in France.