On 11. September 2021, the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies (AROD) held a cannabis sale for human rights at the main police station in Oslo. Posts one and two on this blog elaborate on the reason for the civil disobedience campaign; ARODs press release provides essential information, and here we offer a brief summary. Civil […]
(This article was published in Dagsavisen, December 23, 2000. It was a response to an article by Benedicte Bjørnland, head of the Police Directorate, which advocated for persecution and punishment) While more and more people see punishment as unsuited for combating drug abuse, the police continue to insist on the need for coercive measures. Even […]
The report of the Norwegian Royal Commission on Drug Reform is far more detrimental to the prohibition regime than expected. Not only does it document how moral panic has affected the development of policy but also shows that human rights are involved, and several non-government organisations (NGOs) have requested that the politicians recognise the Royal […]
In “The Right to Self-determination”, philosophy professor Einar Øverenget asks important questions. Referring to the COVID-19 crisis, he asks whether there is a reasonable relationship between the measures we have taken and real risk or whether such a strong narrative has been built up around fear that we forget how society usually handles danger. The […]
The police have had a strong but not very insightful presence in the debate on drug reform. The response of the Norwegian Prosecuting Authority, therefore, comes as a surprise because while the Police Directorate, the Norwegian Police Confederation, and the Norwegian Narcotics Officers Association (NNPF) are more interested in continuing a regime of punishment, no […]
The Norwegian drug reform is underway. In this context, human rights have gained prominence, and the Royal Commission has elaborated on the international trends. The drug law is definitely in trouble. Not only does the report of the Royal Commission detail how public panic has shaped the legislation, but it also shows how this phenomenon […]
Norway’s lawyers have failed society in the debate on drug reform. While sociologists, psychologists, and criminologists have considered the reform with profound interest, lawyers have stood on the sidelines. From there, they have, without comment, witnessed the fall of the rule of law as the state openly neglects the guidelines of international law. Nothing is […]
The Norwegian drug reform is coming to an end. The Ministry of Health will present its proposal to the Storting in February, but the drug policy has not yet been decided. If the Labour Party gets its way, punishment will continue while if the opposition parties get their way, there will be decriminalisation of drug […]
The Norwegian drug reform has failed. Despite the Royal Commission’s identification of public panic as the engine behind policy and NGOs having documented the connection between this phenomenon and human rights crimes, politicians continue to push for punishment on rejected terms. By doing so, the politicians have failed clear demands under international law, and the […]
Public prosecutors Vilde Humlegård and Sturla Henriksbø are to determine the appropriate punishment for the leader of the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies (AROD) after cannabis products were set up outside the Main police station on 11 September 2001. This was done to clarify a long-ignored issue, namely the relationship between drug prohibition and […]
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