They don’t exactly drive and shoot each other at the Vinmonopolet. We should be able to try a trial scheme with legally licensed sales of cannabis.

This is a chronicle. The chronicle expresses the writer’s position. You can submit articles and debate entries to VG here.

ARILD KNUTSEN, leader in the Association for human drug policy

There is little else to do in Greenland and at Brugata in Oslo at night than what has to do with the drug market there. Preferably after At 4 am on Sunday 27 November, a young man was shot and killed.

I went there with politicians on Saturday night and reacted a bit to the atmosphere. I’m used to it, but I didn’t get it anymore about Pusher Street in Christiania in Copenhagen. With obvious competition for the market, just a little worse. Because here they don’t have stalls in allocated places, so they compete more to be the first to attract attention.

We couldn’t stand still for a second before people came over and made noises to make themselves known as someone who had something. Whistling, «hey», «yo», «hash», «speed», «coke». On both sides of the streets. At each corner of the intersection. Far inside the park or further along the river. Some alone, some in groups, some had people looking out for them.

A young man killed. Maybe people don’t think about it that much. It’s there. After all, it is “them”. But it is a deep tragedy and especially for those closest to you. He walks among us with his hopes and dreams. Today he is gone forever. Offer of a gruesome murder. Again, a family is in deep mourning, having lost a son, a brother, many have lost a friend.

I pulled it down again on Sunday and it looked like nothing had happened and maybe that’s how most people feel about it. The only sign was these shards of glass that I recognized from newscasts.

On both sides of the streets, all corners of the intersection, there was full activity. Young men who looked for customers and started yelling and whistling at me as soon as I stopped and looked around.

It’s going to happen again. And there are many aggressive and violent confrontations in these environments that never reach the surface. I’ve handled a lot of weed in that area myself not many years ago and ended up in a lot of awkward situations.

People come to you from all districts, nearby municipalities and from all walks of life to deal with. Access to drugs such as cannabis is often highly variable, while this is a place where you can always know you will get something. Mostly. Cannabis is by far the largest market.

Perhaps there is a little more expensive than with the usual contact. Maybe it’s a little worse, but not necessarily. Regardless, there is always something to be had there, for those who want it.

Enormous amounts of money in an illegal market, totally unregulated. High risk. Hard. Claustrophobic. Dangerous.

We still don’t know exactly what this is, but the murder is reminiscent of the 23-year-old who was recently executed, shot in the head at close range, at one of the hash shops in Christiania. The murder was referred to in the media as a gang murder, which in turn led to a kind of dehumanization of those involved. Included offer.

There, too, a family was again in deep sorrow.

The policy of prohibition is totally without evidence and has enormous tragic consequences. There is nothing good about it. It cannot be said to limit accessibility in any way. And if regulated sales were to lead to some more use, a little more users, then it had to be measured against the consequences of controlling large parts of the sales.

They don’t exactly drive and shoot each other at the Vinmonopolet. The hardness does not exist there. They don’t nag you to buy even more or even stronger. They do not offer anyone to take to others.

There you also know what you are getting. It is important to know the degree of strength and you can get variants that are far less harmful to health through legal production and distribution. Restrictions are available. The tax revenue can go to the prevention of addiction, crime and alienation instead of “survival of the fittest”.

In the United States, no one is looking back after legalization and going back to total prohibition. The support in the population just increases every year, for every state that legalizes. 15 states have legalized cannabis for everyone over the age of 21.

It is the desired best tool against mafia-like business.

Here in Norway, we have a tradition of strict and sensible regulations, we can use the same tools as the smoking law and finally believe in a decrease in use.

For the streets and corners of Greenland, this will mean less income for illegal business, less recruitment for sales, less harshness and competition, less use of weapons.

We should be able to try a trial scheme with legally licensed sales of cannabis. Give it a chance and await results.

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The post was first published on the author’s Facebook page. Reproduced here with permission.