12 votes

Vihreä liitto become first party in the Finnish Parliament to call for legalisation of cannabis – initiative approved at party conference by narrowest possible majority 183-181

7 comments

  1. [5]
    Muffin
    Link
    I was gonna post this yesterday but the English version of the article wasn't up yet. Fuck. Yes. This is a great step for at least the discussion in Finnish politics. I think the 183-181 is too...

    I was gonna post this yesterday but the English version of the article wasn't up yet.

    Fuck. Yes. This is a great step for at least the discussion in Finnish politics. I think the 183-181 is too close to be simply a coincidence. It gives the Greens an easy backpedal if they ever need to.. "Well as you might recall it barely made it through the vote internally in our party"

    ..okay I'll loosen the tinfoil and roll up a joint. Oh wait I can't it's still illegal and that's not changing any time soon.

    8 votes
    1. [4]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      If you don't mind my asking, what is the general public view of cannabis in Finland? In the US there are large segments of the population that are against legalizing it, mainly because of a long...

      If you don't mind my asking, what is the general public view of cannabis in Finland? In the US there are large segments of the population that are against legalizing it, mainly because of a long campaign of racist policies by our politicians. Most Americans are fine with alcohol being legal, and given that cannabis is safer than alcohol in a lot of ways, there's no rational reason it needs to be illegal any more than alcohol. Does Finland have a similar history with the drug? It seems like it's more accepted in some other European countries like the Netherlands. (According to Wikipedia, about half of Europe has "decriminalized" it, which is to say that it's still technically illegal, but they don't enforce it so long as you only have a small amount on you.) So I'm just curious what the debate is like there?

      6 votes
      1. [3]
        Muffin
        Link Parent
        I don't have any numbers in front of me and I'm too lazy to dig them up on my lunch break, but the TL:DR; would be something like: Most university students openly admit to having at least tried...

        I don't have any numbers in front of me and I'm too lazy to dig them up on my lunch break, but the TL:DR; would be something like:

        Most university students openly admit to having at least tried weed. Generally the younger the person the more likely it is that they're at least pro decriminalization.

        In the US there are large segments of the population that are against legalizing it, mainly because of a long campaign of racist policies by our politicians.

        Kind of the same thing here. I don't think it's as rooted in racism but more so that we are incredibly stubborn to make any meaningful change in large things like prohibition of drugs. The boomers (pardon the expression) of the parties have come out in debates with arguments like "We can't simply start making things legal that are illegal".

        Since it's the enviromentally conscious party that is suggesting this, I've seen a hundred "BUT WEED MAKES A TON MORE CO2 THAN BEER!!" type comments online from both politicians and members of the general public. That's usually the extent of their statements.

        6 votes
        1. [2]
          johnaj
          Link Parent
          Interesting. If this is true, cannabis seems more popular in Finland than in Sweden. In university circles here, it's not something you really talk about, and my impression is that it is not very...

          Most university students openly admit to having at least tried weed.

          Interesting. If this is true, cannabis seems more popular in Finland than in Sweden. In university circles here, it's not something you really talk about, and my impression is that it is not very common.

          4 votes
          1. Muffin
            Link Parent
            With quick googling the number from 2018 of 25-34 year olds Finns that have at least once tried 'an illegal substance' is 45%. I'd assume that in University circles the number is higher, and I'm...

            With quick googling the number from 2018 of 25-34 year olds Finns that have at least once tried 'an illegal substance' is 45%. I'd assume that in University circles the number is higher, and I'm pretty sure it was reported to be 50-60% a few years ago.

            From what I gather the pandemic has caused an increase in drug use in general in Finland. There's not much solid data so far, though.

            2 votes
  2. elcuello
    Link
    Hopefully this will nudge the rest of Scandinavia a bit. It's appalling how nothing has happened on this issue especially after the much more conservative US took some big leaps the last couple of...

    Hopefully this will nudge the rest of Scandinavia a bit. It's appalling how nothing has happened on this issue especially after the much more conservative US took some big leaps the last couple of years. So damn frustrating and honestly embarrassing.

    3 votes
  3. Muffin
    Link
    It's worth noting that the 183-181 vote figure wasnt' exactly for-and-against the decriminalization part. It was to choose between two different party programs, both of which were...

    It's worth noting that the 183-181 vote figure wasnt' exactly for-and-against the decriminalization part. It was to choose between two different party programs, both of which were pro-decriminalization at the least.

    Also, Vihreä liitto is aiming for decriminalization first.

    2 votes