– Now we are heading towards spring and Russian time. Then there are some important conversations that we have to have with the young people, says the Minister of Health to news. – Unfortunately, we see that it is becoming more common to use illegal drugs and that cocaine is becoming something that people are more used to being offered at parties, she continues. Several surveys, including from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, show that cocaine use is increasing somewhat among young people. As for other stimulants, such as MDMA, amphetamines and ecstasy, their use has fallen in the last couple of years. In Bærum, news meets the Russian boys Oscar, Nils, Vetle and Sander from Stabekk and Nadderud. They say the use of cocaine is widespread in certain environments. The Russian boys from Stabekk and Nadderud will be prosecuted if they discover the use of cocaine. Photo: Magnus Thorén / news But even they have zero tolerance on the Russian bus “Biffen”: If someone takes cocaine, they are thrown straight out. – It is in our internal contract, so we would have done that, says Oscar Vennevold Torkildsen. Cocaine use among young people The Oslo survey from 2023 shows an increase in young people who state that they have tried cocaine. Among upper secondary school students, the proportion has increased from 3 to 8 per cent in the last five years. FHI’s report Narkotika i Norge (2023) also shows that the use of cocaine has increased. In 2019, 3.3 per cent of those questioned stated that they had used the substance in the past year. In 2022, the proportion had risen to 4.7 per cent. New reform Prevention, is the key word that the Minister of Health uses when news asks what the government will concretely do to limit the use of illegal drugs. TROUBLE: Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap). Photo: Ingvill Sunnby / news – The goal is for all municipalities to work on prevention and outreach and have good youth services. The purpose is to enable young people to make wise choices when they are offered drugs, says Kjerkol. – But is it enough to just focus on prevention? – We have to solve this as a large village. What we politicians contribute is one thing, but we also need help from parents, the young people themselves and, not least, the catering and nightlife venues, says Kjerkol. – So what is the message to parents? – That we have to talk to our young people about this. Drinking alcohol and getting high is part of the party culture in Norway, but taking a substance whose origin or effect you do not know can have serious consequences. – And to young people who are preparing for Russian time? – I would encourage everyone to stay within the law and celebrate in moderation. I myself am from Trondheim, and have good experience that it can be very fun! – Don’t dare to tell In Bærum, the four friends have followed closely the debate on the previous government’s drug reform. It advocated the decriminalization of drugs for personal use, but ran aground in the Storting. Among other things, following opposition from the Labor Party and the Center Party. Russegutta believes there is a danger that young people will not dare to ask for assistance when it is still a criminal offense to use drugs. – People who are struggling, but where it’s not really bad yet, don’t dare ask for help, says Sander Dahl-Engelsen. – Say that someone who is young tries cocaine and has a bad experience and has to go to hospital, but then they don’t want to contact health personnel because they are afraid of being criminalised, adds Oscar Vennevold-Torkildsen. DISAGREE: AUF’s Fredrik Sørlie would prefer decriminalization, but praises Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol for other signals in the reform that she is now working on. Photo: Ingvill Sunnby / news AUF’s Fredrik Sørlie, who heads the youth party’s health policy committee, has the same concern. He is fighting for a rematch on drug reform at Ap’s national meeting next year. – Of course, the AUF would like the drug reform to include general decriminalisation. It is an important tool that will break down the barrier to seeking help. But there is much else that we also have high hopes for. Such as drug analysis, mental health care and heroin-assisted treatment, he says. The police must prevent Confronted with this concern, Kjerkol points to the role of the police in preventive and outreach work. – The reactions to use and possession must be proportionate, and the government will clarify this when we present our comprehensive drug reform. – But it could have consequences for a young person who gets this on their record. Is there not a danger that they will then not seek help? – It is important that young people seek help when they need help, whether it is help and support from the police in demanding and difficult situations, or whether it is health care. And you also have the opportunity to do that when a friend has found himself in a difficult situation. In the government declaration from Hurdal, Aps and Sps promises about what the new drug reform will consist of. One of the points concerns changing the law so that drug addicts are met with health care rather than punishment for the use and possession of drugs. But this should initially only apply to drug addicts, and not to young people who experiment with drugs. Legal experts and politicians in other parties have said that they do not think it is possible to create such a distinction in a legal text in practice. Kjerkol says Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) is responsible for this part of the reform. But she emphasizes that the government’s starting point is fixed. – We should not have a general decriminalization of all types of user doses for all types of users, says Kjerkol. Facts about the government’s drug reform The government declaration that the Center Party and the Labor Party agreed on at Hurdalsjøen states that the current drug policy must be changed and that drug addicts “must be met with help and treatment instead of criminal justice”. At the same time, the government clearly says no to general decriminalization of drugs. Instead, a “prevention and treatment reform for the addiction field, which strengthens the municipalities’ preventive services and integrated aftercare” is promised. Utålmodig Venstre’s Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik shares Kjerkol’s concern for young people who use cocaine, but believes that work on the reform is going far too slowly. – It has been a very long time. In the meantime, they have closed free choice of treatment and a number of inpatient treatment places. We also know that many municipalities lack services for young people who struggle with drug addiction, she says. – But decriminalization, can’t that also send a signal that it’s okay to use cocaine? – Ahead of the drug reform, there was a thorough investigation. There it emerged that neither punishment nor the threat of punishment had any preventive effect. What we are seeing now is the effect of a failed drug policy, says Thorsvik. DISAPPOINTED: Venstre’s Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik believes the government is working too slowly. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk Instead of decriminalisation, the government will strengthen the health and treatment offer for drug-addicted patients, says Kjerkol to news. But she will not say when the long-announced drug reform will be presented to the Storting. – We will return to it when we have the date ready, she says.
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Cocaine use is worrying – these Russian boys have zero tolerance – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
