Finland: Greens call for an end to cannabis prohibition

On Sunday, on the second day of a virtual party conference, the Greens approved several initiatives, including one calling on the government to declare a climate emergency. Another initiative calls for the legalization of cannabis in Finland. The initiative was approved by the narrowest possible majority, 183-181.

«The vote was close. It was decided by a margin of just two votes. This indicates, of course, that there are different positions on this policy within the Greens,» noted party secretary Veli Liikanen.

With this vote, the Greens became the first party in the Finnish Parliament to call for the legalization of marijuana. The youth wing of the opposition National Coalition party made a similar call last year.

Two potential interior ministers voted «yes».»

In 2019, Green Party president and Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo declared that the consumption and possession of small quantities of illicit drugs should not be punished, thus supporting a citizens' initiative to decriminalize cannabis.

As Ohisalo is about to start her parental leave, she will be replaced as Minister of the Interior by one of the three vice-presidents elected on Saturday: MPs Hanna Holopainen, Atte Harjanne and Iiris Suomela. The latter two voted in favor of legalization.

According to the initiative, criminal convictions for cannabis use should be removed from citizens' personal data registers.

«An important statement»

According to Veri Liikanen, current drug policy, based on sanctions and restrictions, has failed to reduce harm.

«The Greens have been committed to shifting drug policy from punishment to harm reduction. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) have been advocating the same thing for years,» he said.

«Of course, it's an important statement considering that it's one of Finland's ruling parties taking such a stance,» Pekka Hakkarainen, research professor at THL, told Yle.

«Based on a 2018 poll, 18 % of Finns thought cannabis should be legally available. Personally, I considered it more important that the criminalization of use be abandoned. This would not only apply to cannabis, but to all substances, and we could better tackle problematic use,» said Hakkarainen.