The authorities of Norway, a neighboring country with Russia, are planning to decriminalize drugs for personal use. The relevant proposals for amendments to the laws were proposed by the Ministry of Health, Bloomberg reports.
It is reported that officials relied on the recommendations of the UN and the World Health Organization. In accordance with the proposed amendments, the country will cease to punish the use of drugs, as well as their acquisition and possession in small quantities for personal use. Such acts will remain illegal but will not be punishable.
According to the Norwegian Minister of Health Bent Hoye, the country’s drug policy reform was a “historic shift.” “It is high time to replace punishment with help,” the official stressed.
On December 2, the UN voted to remove cannabis from the drug list. The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Drugs, the list of the most severely controlled substances.