Finland, prohibition and the normalization of cannabis
This is not an article from the internet (thus, no links). This is an essay written by me (suggestions and criticism welcome). Since this is an international forum, I included some background for our international readers. And while everyone is free to chip in, I hope that the discussion will be about cannabis and Finland.
Background
Some of you may be wondering what's the big deal, and that this is old news. In some countries it is. But Finland is incredibly conservative when it comes to illegal drugs. A prominent Finnish politician Ville Itälä once said "that first needle of cannabis may be lethal". That may sound like a stupid politician being stupid but that quote pretty much sums up a lot of people's attitudes about all illegal drugs. If you use drugs, you will immediately be addicted and you will die in the gutter. Needless to say, there is a lot of stigma to using drugs (such as cannabis) and even discussing them.
The normalization
Right now cannabis is becoming more and more normalized in Finland. And by that I mean it is becoming more and more common. 40% of young males between the ages of 24 and 35 have at least tried cannabis. And that includes people from all walks of life. Not your average junkies, but people who are doing well (university students, working people etc). Also cannabis use is becoming more and more accepted among young people. I apologize I couldn't find any statistics, but my anecdotal evidence suggests that most young people don't see anything wrong with cannabis use. In other words, the use of cannabis is becoming (somewhat) normal and accepted. Whatever the magnitude of cannabis use is, the trend is clear.
The health risks of cannabis (TL;DR It's not that bad compared to alcohol)
This is a bit of a controversial topic, even on this forum. If you disagree with something I am saying here, please start a new thread if you wish to discuss it, as I do not want this one to be derailed. But long story short, the health risks of cannabis are relatively low compared to, say, alcohol. No-one has ever died of cannabis overdose, as it is simply not lethal. The addiction caused by cannabis is less severe than the addiction caused by caffeine, and much less severe than the addiction caused by hard drugs such as alcohol or nicotine (if you're wondering why I am comparing cannabis to alcohol, it is because all Finns are familiar with alcohol). Cannabis use does correlate with depression and schizophrenia, but newer studies suggest that cannabis alleviates their symptoms rather than causes them (it is a bit of a controversial subject however). People under the influence of cannabis are calm and peaceful, even lazy (same cannot be said for alcohol, unfortunately, as any Finn surely knows). Also I have heard that cannabis may cause some kind of harm to a developing brain, but unfortunately I do not know much about this so I can't say how valid this information is, but nevertheless seems obvious to me that underage people should not use cannabis. Also, in case someone does not know, cannabis is usually smoked (never injected).
Why is this happening and what should we do about it?
I cannot say for sure why cannabis use is becoming more and more common. I guess Finland is following the trends set by other countries. Maybe it is media's influence. Internet probably plays a part in this, as there is a lot of information on the internet and it isn't nearly as anti-drugs as Finnish prejudices.
To my fellow Finns: what should be done about this? What do you think? Is this a grave threat to our youth that needs to be stopped using any means necessary? Or would you consider decriminalizing or even legalizing cannabis? What do you think about cannabis overall? How much of this was new to you? If you have an opinion, I would like to hear it.
This is not an article from the internet (thus, no links). This is an essay written by me (suggestions and criticism welcome). Since this is an international forum, I included some background for our international readers. And while everyone is free to chip in, I hope that the discussion will be about cannabis and Finland.
Background
Some of you may be wondering what's the big deal, and that this is old news. In some countries it is. But Finland is incredibly conservative when it comes to illegal drugs. A prominent Finnish politician Ville Itälä once said "that first needle of cannabis may be lethal". That may sound like a stupid politician being stupid but that quote pretty much sums up a lot of people's attitudes about all illegal drugs. If you use drugs, you will immediately be addicted and you will die in the gutter. Needless to say, there is a lot of stigma to using drugs (such as cannabis) and even discussing them.
The normalization
Right now cannabis is becoming more and more normalized in Finland. And by that I mean it is becoming more and more common. 40% of young males between the ages of 24 and 35 have at least tried cannabis. And that includes people from all walks of life. Not your average junkies, but people who are doing well (university students, working people etc). Also cannabis use is becoming more and more accepted among young people. I apologize I couldn't find any statistics, but my anecdotal evidence suggests that most young people don't see anything wrong with cannabis use. In other words, the use of cannabis is becoming (somewhat) normal and accepted. Whatever the magnitude of cannabis use is, the trend is clear.
The health risks of cannabis (TL;DR It's not that bad compared to alcohol)
This is a bit of a controversial topic, even on this forum. If you disagree with something I am saying here, please start a new thread if you wish to discuss it, as I do not want this one to be derailed. But long story short, the health risks of cannabis are relatively low compared to, say, alcohol. No-one has ever died of cannabis overdose, as it is simply not lethal. The addiction caused by cannabis is less severe than the addiction caused by caffeine, and much less severe than the addiction caused by hard drugs such as alcohol or nicotine (if you're wondering why I am comparing cannabis to alcohol, it is because all Finns are familiar with alcohol). Cannabis use does correlate with depression and schizophrenia, but newer studies suggest that cannabis alleviates their symptoms rather than causes them (it is a bit of a controversial subject however). People under the influence of cannabis are calm and peaceful, even lazy (same cannot be said for alcohol, unfortunately, as any Finn surely knows). Also I have heard that cannabis may cause some kind of harm to a developing brain, but unfortunately I do not know much about this so I can't say how valid this information is, but nevertheless seems obvious to me that underage people should not use cannabis. Also, in case someone does not know, cannabis is usually smoked (never injected).
Why is this happening and what should we do about it?
I cannot say for sure why cannabis use is becoming more and more common. I guess Finland is following the trends set by other countries. Maybe it is media's influence. Internet probably plays a part in this, as there is a lot of information on the internet and it isn't nearly as anti-drugs as Finnish prejudices.
To my fellow Finns: what should be done about this? What do you think? Is this a grave threat to our youth that needs to be stopped using any means necessary? Or would you consider decriminalizing or even legalizing cannabis? What do you think about cannabis overall? How much of this was new to you? If you have an opinion, I would like to hear it.
