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Mon, 20 Apr, 2015 12:06:55 AM FTimes – STT Report, April 20  File Photo Lehtikuva. Although the use of cannabis is legislated in many countries of Europe, there is no possibility of changing the laws around cannabis in Finland, said drug policy experts interviewed by STT.
In many European countries, legal use of cannabis has been legislated, for example in Berlin, personal use of the substance is permitted.
In Finland, the punishment for using cannabis is usually only a fine.
A citizen initiative is currently collecting names for the legalisation of cannabis use in Finland. Last year, the initiative collected 21,000 signatures.
Drug policy at the UN will be dealt with extensively by the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) in 2016.
"International forums do not directly affect Finland. Though, for example, many South American countries have been active in the debate over cannabis, no concrete proposals have been made," says Social Affairs and Health Advisor Elina Kotovirta.
File Photo Lehtikuva. The Turku Cannabis Association chairman Risto Mikkonen believes that the discussion itself is significant.
"Different countries interpret agreements in different ways. What's happening in Finland is that young people, in particular, are taking the law into their own hands," Mikkonen says.
UN agreements on drug policy do not require all member states to comply with the strict drug policies that some states follow.
Kotovirta says that while the EU has a common drug strategy, the only binding legislation it has produced is a ban on designer drugs.
"In controlling very dangerous designer drugs, we are building a new common control mechanism. And in the UN, the EU has also emphasized common themes such as minimizing the harmful impact of drugs," Kotovirta says.
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