Iceland: proposal to legalize cannabis before Parliament

An Icelandic lawmaker, Pawel Bartoszek, has submitted to the Icelandic Parliament a bill that would regulate the cultivation, transportation, sale, and consumption of cannabis, and would allow for the establishment of retail stores and cafes where cannabis could be purchased and consumed.

The proposal calls for strict regulation of the cannabis market. Sales and consumption would be permitted only for those over the age of 20; alcohol would be banned in «coffeeshops»; and advertising for cannabis would be prohibited.

Cannabis products will also be sold in plain packaging, with clear information about health risks, similar to tobacco products.

The bill is based on the report How to Regulate Cannabis: A Practical Guide, a publication by the British think tank Transform. The publication places particular emphasis on advertising bans, an important point in light of the lessons learned from current legal drugs—alcohol and tobacco, to name a few. «There is a well-established link between exposure to alcohol and tobacco marketing and increased consumption of these drugs,» the guide states. «It is therefore reasonable to assume that similar marketing would lead to an increase in cannabis use.».

Bartoszek is a member of the pro-reform Liberal Party Viðreisn, one of the three parties in the ruling coalition. In a blog post, he describes cannabis regulation as a means of «harm reduction based on a scientific approach.» He estimates that about 1,000 people are prosecuted each year for violations of cannabis laws, and points to the support of opinion leaders like Kofi Annan for drug law reform.

Bartoszek notes that decriminalization—where possession and use would no longer be crimes, but production and sale would remain illegal—would already be a step forward. However, he believes that only full regulation could reduce the risks associated with cannabis and would allow the government to «oversee production, manage access, protect children and young adolescents, and tax consumption.»

Bartoszek’s bill is supported by another lawmaker from the same party and two lawmakers from the Pirate Party. It is not yet clear whether Parliament will support this proposal. «I hope this bill will serve as an icebreaker to stimulate debate, and that it will ultimately lead to an end to punishing people who use this substance.»