This spring, Lennart Aker’s appeal was heard in the Supreme Court. His verdict, along with two others, has since been described as historic. The conclusion of the Supreme Court was that drug addicts should be able to store drugs for their own use, without being punished for it. The judges believed that the signals from the Storting pointed in the direction that drug addicts should not be punished for drug use. Although the previous government’s proposal for drug reform was voted down. The Attorney General, who is the chief of police and prosecution, followed this up with a clarification that drug addicts should not be prosecuted for use and possession of up to 5 grams of heroin, amphetamine and cocaine. Figures now obtained by news from the Attorney General show that far fewer fines were written for the use and possession of drugs this spring than before. The decline from 2018 to this year is almost 80 percent. The figures show a decline even before the drug reform debate became hot. But we will find the lowest figures in 2021 and 2022. – Only new crime is being committed Aker has been addicted to drugs for many years. He was taken with about 4 grams of heroin, and sentenced to prison in the district court. The verdict was overturned in the Supreme Court. He is happy that the numbers of drug fines are lower. – But I would rather that the real drug addicts, those who have a strong history of intoxication on their papers, should not be fined if they have a big problem and really have to have the drug to get up in the morning, says Aker to news. SUSPECT: Lennart Aker has been stopped by the police on the open street several times. Now he hopes others will not experience the same. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news – The only thing that happens if they are caught, if the police take their drug, is that they commit a criminal act or steal from the family. You just make new crime out of it, Aker believes. But why have there been fewer drug fines? Law professor Jon Petter Rui says that signals from politicians and the population indicate that drug use is considered less serious than before – especially when it comes to drug addicts. Usually a fine Rui refers to the Attorney General’s priority circular, which came in February this year. There, the Attorney General writes about what should be prioritized by the prosecuting authority next year, based on signals from the Ministry of Justice. – Use and possession for own use is not a priority there. And that’s natural. It is a crime that is not considered serious, says Rui to news. Using drugs, or carrying a small amount of drugs, is considered in the Penal Code as a fine. The fact that the crime is considered not serious is the reason why several people reacted when the police and the public prosecutor’s office said that they went through mobile phones and forced people to take urine and blood samples, just to confirm use. – It says something about society’s attitude This statement is considered by many to be the starting point for the debate about the police’s use of coercive measures. The debate led to the Attorney General coming up with guidelines that specified what the police cannot do in minor drug cases. In February, they found that the police had systematically misapplied the legislation on certain points. – Last year, the Attorney General said that the police should not use coercive measures in less serious drug cases. Could it have contributed to the decline? – Yes, it is a contributing factor. It must have been. The Attorney General emphasized, and there are indications that they were a little too active in obtaining legal authority for cases of use and possession, Rui answers. At the same time, he believes it is difficult to point to just one reason for the decline. He highlights the previous government’s proposal for drug reform and the debate that followed, as well as the Attorney General’s priority circular and signals from the Supreme Court. – It says a bit about society’s attitude to this. And another factor is circulated by the Attorney General. The causal picture is complex. DECREASE: Professor at UiO Thomas Clausen does not think change in Norwegians’ drug habits explains the decline in fines. Photo: Roy Pettersen / news Believes change in police practice can explain Research leader Thomas Clausen at the Center for Drug and Addiction Research (SERAF) does not think change in Norwegians’ drug habits explains the decline in fines. – It may vary from substance to substance and period to period. But overall, I think drug use has been fairly stable through the pandemic, Clausen says to news. The latest figures from FHI show that the proportion of the population who have used an illegal drug has been steady in recent years. Clausen also believes that societal changes explain the low fines: – A natural explanation may be that there has been a change in police practices and routines, Clausen says. Lennart Aker has soon been drug-free for four months. He has previously had both good and bad experiences with the police. – Here in Oslo, I have been taken many times by the police, and they have let me keep it, says Aker. He emphasizes that it has only been if he has had small amounts of drugs on him. SUPREME COURT: – To take up such a small case all the way to the Supreme Court. Think how much money they have spent for so little, says Lennart Aker about his appeal. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news At the same time, he talks about being stripped naked on an open street due to suspicion of possession of drugs. Now he hopes that others will not experience the same thing. And that cases like his stop earlier in the judicial system. – To take up such a small case all the way to the Supreme Court. Think how much money they have spent for so little? That’s a lot of money, ass. And they know I’ve been on methadone for nine years. And been so far inside that heroin drive, says Aker.
ttn-69
– Says a little about society’s attitude – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
