Thoughts from the void: Cannabis and Denmark

One of the first times I heard about cannabis in Denmark was when one of my friends returned from Copenhagen and spoke about a place called Christiania where cannabis was freely available for purchase and people openly consumed cannabis while the authorities turned a blind eye. I subsequently read about the place in some studies that had been carried out regarding urban centers which differed drastically from their surroundings but managed to exert such an influence that they are regarded as an essential part of the social and cultural fabric of the place.

Apparently Christiania boasts the equivalent of the Amsterdam coffee shops kind of experience in a similarly decriminalized but still tolerated sort of way. The authorities are well aware of the state of affairs but the management of Christiania is left largely to the locals who live there and who ensure that any form of criminal activity is controlled. Persons who visit Christiania range from Danish citizens who like their cannabis to tourists who visit the place for a novel experience along with Danish art and culture. The place is so popular that it is said to be the second most popular tourist place in Copenhagen.

It is not clear to me where the cannabis is sourced from but it is most likely brought from other places such as Afghanistan, Morocco or Lebanon like it is done in other parts of Europe like the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, etc or supplied by small growers using greenhouses or a small number of large suppliers locally. Whatever the sources, there is a need for Denmark to officially legalize cannabis for recreational purposes. This is primarily to remove the ambiguity and hypocrisy around cannabis usage with the added benefit of making the businesses that thrive in places like Christiania legitimate. A European country like Denmark legalizing cannabis and supporting its world wide legalization is required if the UN is to remove cannabis restrictions. It is also required to send the right messages around Europe and the rest of the world that the plant is medicinal and a safe recreational option unlike other drugs in the market today. The ambiguity with which European countries like Denmark approach cannabis means that more repressive countries are emboldened in their implementation of cannabis prohibition often violating human rights and destroying the precious plant indiscriminately. The ambiguous policies regarding cannabis result in people in poorer nations, minorities, indigenous people, the elderly, the ill, the youth and women being deprived of the plant while nations like Denmark continue their usage internally as if everything was normal but in the public forum continue to support cannabis's prohibition citing international treaties. Cannabis prohibition has been one of the most widely used laws to suppress minorities and weaker sections of society while serving to protect the interests of big businesses world wide for nearly a century now.

A number of Scandinavian countries such as Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway have been considering decriminalizing drugs. This is not enough. Cannabis needs to be legalized for recreational use, specifically home growing, along with decriminalization of other drugs so that people have a safe natural recreational alternative, much safer than alcohol or tobacco, to the dangerous synthetic drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, novel psychotropic substances and abuse of prescription drugs that is ravaging societies world wide.

Listed below are articles taken from various media related to the above subject. Words in italics are the thoughts of your truly at the time of reading the article.

'The Danish Medicines Agency added that it will continue to use office-based assessments and controls in some situations.

The scope and procedure for these will be agreed for the individual inspection and GXP area, and may include, for example, the submission of relevant documentation for review by the Danish Medicines Agency, access to relevant IT systems, and video conferencing during the inspection.

The Agency issues certificates for medical cannabis producers to confirm compliance with regulations.
https://mjbizdaily.com/danish-medicines-agency-gradually-resuming-on-site-cannabis-inspections/