A cross-party majority of City Hall politicians adopted a proposal Thursday night that would allow cannabis to be sold legally in state-run shops on a trial basis. It is an attempt to stop the multi-billion kroner criminal trade, according to Seven59.dk and Jyllands-Posten.<\/p>\n
The Danish parliament would have to approve the controversial plan, but the Social Democrats\u2019 social policy spokesman in Copenhagen, Lars Aslan Rasmussen, says he is confident a majority will accept \u2019new thinking\u2019 to combat drug abuse. <\/p>\n
\u00bbI just hope that Copenhagen is given the opportunity to try out a new policy\u00ab, he says, adding that \u00bbwe can\u2019t carry on with this outdated prohibition strategy towards cannabis.\u00ab <\/p>\n
Lars Aslan Rasmussen may have ‘smoked the joint’ however. His governing Social Democrat colleague at the national parliament Christansborg, justice spokesman Ole H\u00e6kkerup, has already rejected the proposal. <\/p>\n
\u00bbIf we make cannabis readily available then we have to accept that more people will end up on hard drugs\u00ab, he says. <\/p>\n
Opposition member of the Liberal party group Martin Geertsen dismisses the proposal as \u00bbcomplete madness\u00ab and urges Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen, a former Justice Minister, to stop the \u2018idiotic\u2019 proposal. <\/p>\n
miy@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n