A leading Danish politician with the opposition Social Democrats is breaking with his party’s position on cannabis and calling for the decriminalization of all drugs in Denmark. MP Henrik Sass Larsen made the remarks in a new book lambasting the Danish government’s efforts to control drugs and outlining the merits of comprehensive drug decriminalization. Larsen’s comments have drawn praise from far-left parties in Denmark. But the Social Democrats, a parliamentary group Larsen chairs, has opposed previous attempts to legalize cannabis.
Danish MP Defies His Own Party’s Position On Cannabis
Nestled in Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen is an officially recognized autonomous community called Christiania. Christiania is the counter-cultural hub of the city, a “freetown” that is also the center of the illicit cannabis trade.
The hash markets of Copenhagen’s Christiania enclave are an open secret. And this makes it the target of routine raids by law enforcement.
But Copenhagen city officials don’t want the constant police presence in their city. For four straight years, they’ve asked the Danish government to allow the city to implement a trial cannabis legalization program. And for four straight years, the government has denied their requests.
In recent years, Denmark’s right-wing coalition government has rebuffed Copenhagen’s attempts to legalize adult-use cannabis. But in 2014, it was the Social Democrat government that rejected the proposal.
And the party hasn’t shifted since. “It would be wrong to decriminalize cannabis,” Social Democrat spokesperson Trine Bramsen said.
But Social Democrat MP Henrik Larsen has defied his party’s stated position on cannabis. And he’s gone one step further, calling for all drugs to be decriminalized. Larsen’s remarks have received praise from the left-wing Red-Green Alliance and Alternative parties.