Snerk
Smeghead
Norway's center-right government has put forward a proposition to decriminalise use and possession of small amounts of drugs, decided by an official list of threshold. Today at labours yearly conversion, they voted against it (188 against 101), and thus killing it in it's tracks.
A progressive wind has swept over Norway in the last few years, pushing for change in Norway's strict drug laws. Last year the government appointed a commission of various experts to examine the latest research into changing current laws into more evidence based ones. In short, find out what works, what doesn't in terms of drug laws. Norway has for a long time been among the top of European drug overdose statistics.
The conclusion from the panel was what has been referred to as the "Portugal model", switching punitive reactions to drug use, to reactions from health services instead, was the best option going forward.
Drugs use would still be illegal, but the reaction would no longer be fines and a criminal record. Import and sales would remain just as illegal and punishable.
The government doesn't have majority in parliament on their own so needed support from outside. The parties on left supported it, and the morally conservative ones didn't. So it fell on labour, whom are sort of in the middle (or slightly left) of everything.
Polls show a majority support for the reform both among labour voters, and the population in general. But leadership tends to be more conservative in these matters.
Probably will be some time until a similar opportunity presents itself for a progressive drug reform on this scale. As after this years election we'll probably see a new gov dominated by labour and SP (farmers who pushed heavily against the reform)
Sad.
At least they are taking a massive beating on social media due to voting against it.
A progressive wind has swept over Norway in the last few years, pushing for change in Norway's strict drug laws. Last year the government appointed a commission of various experts to examine the latest research into changing current laws into more evidence based ones. In short, find out what works, what doesn't in terms of drug laws. Norway has for a long time been among the top of European drug overdose statistics.
The conclusion from the panel was what has been referred to as the "Portugal model", switching punitive reactions to drug use, to reactions from health services instead, was the best option going forward.
Drugs use would still be illegal, but the reaction would no longer be fines and a criminal record. Import and sales would remain just as illegal and punishable.
The government doesn't have majority in parliament on their own so needed support from outside. The parties on left supported it, and the morally conservative ones didn't. So it fell on labour, whom are sort of in the middle (or slightly left) of everything.
Polls show a majority support for the reform both among labour voters, and the population in general. But leadership tends to be more conservative in these matters.
Probably will be some time until a similar opportunity presents itself for a progressive drug reform on this scale. As after this years election we'll probably see a new gov dominated by labour and SP (farmers who pushed heavily against the reform)
Sad.
At least they are taking a massive beating on social media due to voting against it.
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