Drug Decriminalization Debated

Almost a third of Icelanders support the decriminalization of drugs, according to a new poll, RÚVreports. The majority is opposed.

Discussion regarding this issue has gradually increased in recent years. Decriminalization is not the same as legalization. By decriminalization, it‘s meant that possession of drugs for personal consumption would not be penalized. Drugs would still be illegal and so would their sale, according to Iceland Review.

The Independence Party supports the decriminalization of drugs, and MP Guðmundur Steingrímsson, Bright Future, has called for the legalization of cannabis. Minister of Health Kristján Þór Júlíusson has expressed support for decriminalization.