Major Frank Jensen intends to make deregulation of cannabis a ‘front burner’ issue for his autumn campaign for council elections.
His Socialdemokraterne voted on April 7th to adopt it as an official policy in the campaign platform, although it wasn’t unanimous and resulted in the resignation of party member Sophie K Led, suggesting it is a contentious issue within their ranks.
“The party has agreed that in this next election period it will work very hard to push the government to allowed an experiment with legal cannabis here in Copenhagen,” Led told DR News.
Recently a City Council cannabis conference took place and it was agreed to officially propose a three year trial, with the argument that “the legal sale of cannabis will result in decreased gang criminality, more prevention and a better life for average cannabis users.”
Mayor Jensen has been an outspoken supporter of legalising marijuana use, but Led seems equally outspoken against the efforts to lobby national government on the issue. They have already turned down one request made last year.
While Copenhagen has yet to adopt a permissive culture similar to Amsterdam, the use of marijuana and its public sales are openly tolerated in the hippie neighbourhood of Christania, and have been for years.
Although the Netherlands is now reversing its complete unregulation of marijuana sale, restricting it to locals with residence proof to discourage criminal elements in the tourist industry, there is a worldwide trend to reconsider the law on this mild narcotic. Several US states recently voted to allow marijuana possession for personal use.
[…] Copenhagen mayor pushes for legalising cannabis […]
[…] Copenhagen mayor pushes for legalising cannabis […]
Your information concerning the situation in Holland is not up to date!
In May 2012, at least 600 people immediately lost their jobs when all cannabis cafes in three Dutch border provinces were turned into members’ only clubs. Hundreds of people were arrested (in one provence alone) for drug offenses. In addition, Maastricht University researchers said that youngsters were being exposed to other drugs because the strict separation between hard and soft drugs no longer applied. There was also a sharp increase in demand for seeds and other equipment required to grow marijuana at home. By the end of October 2012, after it was clear to all that the new restrictive policy had resulted only in increased street-selling and associated criminality, the Dutch sensibly abandoning plans to roll out the ‘Wietpas’ over the rest of the country.