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Legalization of cannabis proposed in Iceland

Legalization of cannabis proposed in Iceland

Pawel Bartoszek, a member of Parliament for Viðreisn (The Reform Party) has proposed a bill for the legalization of cannabis. The proposed bill will put in place a framework of rules about the production, sales, and handling of cannabis products alongside a general decriminalization of cannabis use. Pawel released a statement earlier today on his website Pawel.is where it came to light that the Parliament member will open the handling of the case.

The bill is based on the handbook How to Regulate Cannabis: A Practical Guide that is released on behalf of Transform. The bill will be introduced by Pawel and he will be supported by Sigrún Ingibjörg Gísladóttir, a fellow member of Viðreisn, and two members of the Pirate Party, Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson and Jón Þór Ólafsson. Over a 1000 individuals are prosecuted for matters related to cannabis each year in Iceland, according to Pawel.

The focus point of the bill is the decriminalization of production, sales, and consumption of cannabis alongside the minimum cannabis use age of 20 years old. Retail on a small scale will be permitted as well as cannabis sales in special cannabis restaurants. Alcohol will not be available for purchase in the restaurants. The drug will be sold in specific gray packaging with a simple message that contains information about the product. The information will convey the name of the producer, the product and its name, a further description of contents, and a warning about the potential harmfulness of the product. Furthermore, a total ban on advertisements of any kind will be in place. The bill also proposes a cannabis fee, similar to the one importers and manufacturers of alcohol have to pay.

Pawel stated: “I hope that the bill will be an icebreaker that spurs the debate and that it will ultimately lead to us ceasing the punishment of people for consuming this specific substance.”

credit:420intel.com