The Drug Policy Website of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

Legal Regulation of Cannabis in Copenhagen

Submitted by sarosip on 4 January, 2012 - 09:47
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The City Council of Copenhagen voted for legalizing marijuana. Watch the new movie of the HCLU and find out why!

The international press reported in November last year that the City Council of Copenhagen voted overwhelmingly in favour of a legal regulation scheme for cannabis. The video advocacy team of the HCLU traveled to the Danish capital where we interviewed a couple of decision makers, including the members of the City Council, to find out why did they chose to legalize the drug and how would they regulate it.

It seems the system they envision is different from the Dutch coffee shop system where privat shops licenced by the municipalities run the cannabusiness. Danish politicians point out that the Dutch failed to regulate the growing of cannabis and the coffee shops are supplied from the black market. In Denmark the City Council plans to create a network of state-run shops and cafes, where the government keeps the whole procedure under control from cultivation to distribution. The goal is to protect the consumer and reduce the harms of use. The question is whether the new leftish government will approve the experiment. City Council members are optimistic: even if the plan fails for now, it is only the question of time the cannabis market will be regulated, they say. 

Posted by Peter Sarosi

Comments

Submitted by Frank Janosz Lu... (not verified) on 4 January, 2012 - 22:32
Yes, Copenhagen - yes. To take the profit away from organised crime by legalizing cannabis is an excellent move. Good luck on your experiment.

Submitted by Neil Hunt (not verified) on 5 January, 2012 - 09:28
Because of the economic crisis, governments are cutting health and social services and ignoring an important way to reduce crime, improve public health, protect young people, cut public spending and increase fiscal revenues. Any politician who does not see that this is a win/win/win/win policy is an idiot, or timid, or both, or an elected member of the UK House of Commons (with a small number of worthy exceptions such as Paul Flynn).

Submitted by NutmegJunkie (not verified) on 5 January, 2012 - 11:51
Please tell me what kind of scientific method you use to make a distinction between a 'hard' drug and and 'soft' drug.

Submitted by sarosip on 11 January, 2012 - 21:28
It's not us who make this distinction but the Danish mayor - ask him!

Submitted by McD (not verified) on 5 January, 2012 - 16:46
Three cheers for Copenhagen! You know where I'll be going for my holidays from now on, and I'll save as much money as I possibly can to spend there to express my support for their proper, rightful, intelligent, just and just downright and simply sensible move. Hurray for Copenhagen!

Submitted by Jeffrey Dhywood (not verified) on 11 January, 2012 - 04:31
We should ask ourselves the simple but fundamental question: “Are organized societies capable and willing to manage and control psychoactive substances, instead of leaving it to organized crime?” This, really, is placing the bar extremely low when you think about it. Capable, we are; in my just released book "World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization" (www.world-war-d.com), I explain why and how. After all, the vast majority of psychoactive substances, including the two deadliest, are already legal and more or less efficiently controlled. I applaud Copenhagen lawmakers for their pragmatism and theri courage. What will it take for decision-makers all over the world to display the wisdom and garner the courage to end the disastrous War on Drugs and responsibly take charge of drug production and trade instead of leaving it in the hands of extremely dangerous and powerful international criminal organizations?

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