– There is no doubt that it was perceived as a kind of legitimation when the country’s prime minister at the time said that having fairly large user doses of, for example, cocaine should not be punishable, says Sp leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum. Vedum receives news at its office in the Ministry of Finance. He believes that the previous government’s drug reform contributed to putting a kind of stamp of approval on the use of illegal drugs. He accuses the Conservative leader of having acted irresponsibly and unwisely. Pointing to Solberg – When you are prime minister, you have great influence. And when the country’s prime minister wants to decriminalize drugs – not just hashish, but cocaine, amphetamines, hard drugs – then it is also abused by others. – But how much responsibility do you think Solberg has for increased cocaine use? – Of course, it is each individual who uses it, who takes that action, but you also have a responsibility when you propose it. – What do you base it on? Is that something you believe, or can you demonstrate an actual causal relationship? – That’s something I mean. There is a change in attitude among young people. Many have believed that it is more legal. – But do you think that many 16-17-year-olds today have actually caught up with what happened in government four or five years ago? – Norms change over time. So of course that picture is composite. But when a prime minister says that she wants to decriminalize cocaine, that it should not be a criminal offense to carry quite large amounts of cocaine, then it can be seen as a stamp of approval, says Vedum and continues: – That responsibility of course rests with Solberg. Asks Høyre to reverse Vedum reiterates that the government is now working on legislative changes that will give the police new and extended powers to control, search and seize illegal drugs. He believes this is absolutely necessary in order to prevent increased drug use among young people and to expose ringleaders and backmen. The SP leader is disappointed by the lack of support from the Conservative Party in this work. He believes that the party, on the contrary, opposes the government’s attempts to equip the police with new means and tools. – Instead of shooting down everything, the Conservative Party should join in and see if we can make austerity measures. That’s what’s responsible. Norway will not become a better country because we have more drugs in our schools and among young people, he says. – But cocaine use is also increasing sharply in other countries, which is not the fault of a former Solberg government? – There are international forces in many countries that speak for the legalization of drug policy. So I think everyone bears a responsibility for what we see. It is not the case that Erna Solberg has full and complete responsibility. But I believe that the policy they pursued is a recipe for more drug use among young people. – So what do you think Solberg should do now? – Sit down together with the government and look at how we can give the police more tools and put aside the idea that decriminalization makes Norway better. I hope Solberg will join us in the fight against drugs, says Vedum. Solberg: Completely behind the goal – Vedum has no basis for saying this. Drug use has increased in all countries around us, says Erna Solberg to news. She calls Vedum “loud-voiced and boastful”. REJECTS: – Completely behind the mark, says Conservative leader Erna Solberg about the claims from Vedum. Photo: Peder Martin Bergholt / news – There are no facts behind what he says. This is just an excuse from Vedum for the fact that they have sat for three years without delivering a drug reform, she continues. – But he also points out that the Conservative Party will not give the police new powers? – The police must have an opportunity to investigate these cases. It was also part of our reform related to drug addiction. – But Vedum think you are blocking proposals to give the police new tools? – So far, the government has not come up with any proposal. We’ll have to see what they come up with first. – He says your rhetoric and politics means that young people now have the impression that it is not dangerous to use drugs? – There is no evidence for that. And he has no documentation for that either. So this is just completely off the mark. This is how the drug expert answers Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news news has asked sociology professor Willy Pedersen a number of questions about the claims from Vedum and the basis for them. He is one of the country’s most experienced drug researchers. Here is what he answers: – Has the use of illegal drugs increased among young people? – There has been a slight increase in the use of cannabis. The use of MDMA and amphetamines may seem to be falling slightly, but the most startling thing is a marked increase in the use of cocaine. – Does this have anything to do with the debate that has been going on in the public, as you see it? – It is unlikely that it has any great significance. We see the same development in other countries, with which we often compare ourselves, where there has been no particular debate on drug policy. – But Vedum thinks that by wanting a liberalization of drug policy, you can send a signal that it is not so dangerous to use drugs? – You could imagine that something like that happened. But if we look at Norway historically, the strongest increase in the use of illegal drugs actually occurred in the 1990s. – Then there were severe penalties for drug offences, and no debate about a more liberal policy. Then we also saw the same increase in other countries. So this is probably much more about trends in the youth environment and little to do with the policies that the various countries are implementing or debating. Published 21.08.2024, at 07.48
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Increased cocaine use – Vedum points to Solberg – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
