Transcript Hon Pernille Skipper

The case study of Denmark
Pernille Skipper
Member of Parliament,
Red Green Alliance
Christiania
An Example of a regulated cannabis Market?
Christiania
Established in 1971. Christiania had – among other things – an open sale of Cannabis in “pusher street”.
Rules applied by Christiania:
No other drugs allowed and not present
No sale to children under the age of 15
Police did not intervene but carried out other regular police actions in the area.
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2002-03: Minister of Justice initiates a public debat on the future of Christiania/pusher street
2003: Police Director warns that if police are to enforce laws on cannabis in Christiania, it will result in
spread sale and easier access to artificial drugs and not effect sale all together
2004: Pusher Street is cleared in large police action on political demand
Sale is spread trough out Copenhagen and tension between gangs and Hells Angel rises in conflict on
area and market control
2008: Disputes on the division of areas of sale result in shootings in the streets of Copenhagen. Named
“The Gang War”
Shootings have since happened with regular intervals and the dispute is still concerning cannabis
Market. Police say openly that the issue can not be solved trough police action alone.
Police are no longer able to carry out other police affairs on regular basis in Christiania
From a fairly controlled market to Gang violence in less than five Years
Not a question of liberalisation but of regulation
Harm Reduction initiatives
Heroin Treatment and Consumption Rooms
13.000 active injection drug users in Denmark.
245-245 Mortalities each Year
Harm Reduction Initiatives
• Heroin Treatment Program
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Initiated in 2010 in 5 Cities.
200 people in treatment today
July 2013 expanded to consumption in pill form
Normalisation in everyday life, crime reduction, jobs, family life
etc.
• Consumption Rooms
– Established 2012 in Copenhagen. Expanded to two other Cities
in 2013.
– Presence of health care personnel and combined with general
health care
– First 99 days in Odense - 11 potential fatal Overdoses
– In Average 3,7 kilos of drug related trash before opening of
consumption rooms. Now only 1,6 kilo.
Status of the public debat
• Discussion on decriminalization of Cannabis
– More than 80 % of adult population have tried
smoking Cannabis. Fairly normal and socially
accepted.
– City Council of Copenhagen have requested an
opportunity to have publicly based sale on trial
basis
– Public Opinion; 52% agree. Only 25% disagree
– Not a debat on liberalisation but on regulation
• Harm Reduction is broadly accepted as the
best approach to lower Mortality
Legal Issues
• Possession of Cannabis is illegal but until recently rarely
enforced by Police
– Sale, trafficking etc. is (of course) illegal and enforced
– Only punishable by fine
– New Strategy of new Minister of Justice?
• Criminalization of other drugs have been actively enforced by
Police
– Heroin Treatment legal by health care law and provided by public
– Now legal to posses and inject inside Consumption Rooms by
means of health care law
– Consumption Rooms have meant “gentlemen agreement” with
Police in areas surrounding but still unsolved legal issue
– NGO’s are pleading with police not to stress users