The Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has received cannabis from the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Polices (AROD).
The Prime Minister receives cannabis because the Norwegian government’s drug policy results in extensive damage, because punishment is continued on disproved premises, and because court proceedings is intended to ensure legal protection that is desperately needed.
Normally, the police can take it for granted that the law is within the framework that human rights dictate, but not in the drug policy. Not only have Norwegian investigations for more than 20 years confirmed the punishment’s lack of basis, but the political process has been hijacked by extremists, and the rule of law is under attack after the government set up a committee to recover police powers that the Director of Public Prosecutions considers disproportionate.
To the extent that the new Drug Enforcement Committee fulfills its mandate, Norway will have a problem with human rights, and AROD will therefore activate legal proceedings.
Article 89 of the Norwegian Constitution gives the courts the right and duty to control the political process. The right to judicial review is a core point in the rule of law, and AROD has for several years used civil disobedience to ensure justice.
In November 2023, the Justice Minister, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police Academy, the Police, and the Drug Enforcement Committee received 100 grams of cannabis to advance legal protection. The Director of Public Prosecutions was informed, but neither the police nor the prosecution authorities have responded, and the Prime Minister has a responsibility for ensuring the rule of law.
That is why AROD wants the Prime Minister to file a complaint to the police. Legal proceedings make it possible for an independent, impartial, and competent body to decide whether the prohibition fulfills a legitimate purpose, and for the Prime Minister it means an opportunity to deal with a corrupt culture in his own party.
Before the recent failure of the Norwegian drug law reform, witnesses have alleged that the Prime Minister were actually in favor of drug reform but gave in to the punishment lobby. Now this powerful lobby is asked to show that punishment is necessary, and the Minister of Justice, the Prime Minister, and other officials will have several days in court to answer questions that will decide whether the punishment should be continued.
This is therefore an exciting time in Norwegian drug policy. After 60 years of panic, there is an opportunity to clean things up and strengthen the state’s human rights record, and you can find out more on ARODs website.
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