Since the late 1980s, Jan Arild Snoen has been one of the leading intellectuals of the liberal right. First in the FRP, then in the Conservative Party, which he eventually left because he believed Erna Solberg’s Conservative Party was getting too expensive.
Now he’s out with a new book “Legaliser! Now! – The Battle for Drug Policy” where he says the best thing for most people would be for drugs to be legalized and become something you could buy for a narcopoly or the pharmacy.
– The ban creates more problems than it solves, says Jan Arild Snoen.
In the recent Ness podcast, he explains why he believes cannabis will become legal in Norway in at least ten years. He points out that he wants to take the legalization step by step, so that it can be reversed if the harmful effects unexpectedly intensify.
See the interview at the top of the case.
According to Snoen, it can be seen that the areas that have legalized cannabis do not change after a few years.
– Usage may increase slightly, but the benefits of legalization far outweigh the drawbacks, says Snoen.
The problem with the ban is three things in particular, he says:
– Create fertile ground for crime. Immigration is part of the explanation for the violence in Sweden, but the battle for the drug market is another one that nobody talks about, she explains.
When we tried to criminalize alcohol, we learned “the hard way” that it wasn’t so wise. The Prohibition era gave us organized crime, says Snoen.
According to Store Norske Leksikon, the ban on alcohol was introduced in 1916 and lasted until 1927, and had a number of negative consequences. Smuggling, prescription abuse and house fires. Also the crimes of drunkenness rose to 18 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1923, while in the 1930s they were 11-12 and after the Second World War they were about 9.
Second, Snoen believes that a ban makes drug use more dangerous than it should be.
– No one really knows how strong and safe what they buy is.
And finally, as a liberal, Snoen believes that people should be allowed to use drugs if they want to.
– Cannabis is much less dangerous to use than alcohol for the individual, although alcohol is still allowed. It’s weird to go after something that mostly harms yourself and isn’t dangerous.
Hash is less dangerous than show jumping, we have to believe Snoen.
