For the first time since 2010, researchers have surveyed Norwegians’ perception of the law.
It shows historically low support for stricter punishments, the government wrote in the report “The concept of law in Norway” was handed over last week.
The report, which was carried out by the Welfare Research Institute NOVA at Oslo Met, has, among other things, mapped what Norwegians think about cannabis use.
It shows that 51 percent of the people who were asked believe that the possession of cannabis should no longer be a criminal offence.
A total of 4,103 people in a representative part of the population answered whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement: “Possession of cannabis for personal use should not be punished”.
35 per cent disagreed with the allegation, and therefore believe that this should still be punishable, while twelve per cent answered “neither or”.
From the report “Perception of justice in the Norwegian population” – page 102. Photo: Screenshot Oslo Met
It was Subject which mentioned the finding about cannabis use in the report first.
Big differences between city and country
– The most obvious variation in the responses to the claim was by place of residence, where support for the claim was far greater in central parts of the country than in rural areas, the researchers write in the report and continue:
– While 60 percent of the participants living in the most central municipalities in the country agreed that possession of cannabis for personal use should not be punished, an almost equal proportion of 47 percent disagreed with the claim in the most rural municipalities in the country.
– Spider game
Lawyer and board member of the Association for Safer Drug Policy, Dagfinn Hesset Paust, commented on the report on Friday Twitter:
– Only a third support the current cannabis legislation, and a majority are clearly against punishment. Unfortunately, we have a micro-government that does not listen to ordinary people.
A Twitter user then asks Paust if he believes that the majority’s opinion in such surveys should be indicative for the future.
– It is therefore completely delusional to believe that we can retain criminal legislation that only one third support, Paust replies.
Don’t want harsher penalties
NTB writes that four out of ten also answered that they believe the level of punishment in Norway is too lenient and that they want stricter punishments.
This is a significant decrease from the previous similar survey in 2010.
Then six out of ten answered that they wanted stricter penalties.
– As far as I know, this is the first time a survey shows that the majority think the level of punishment in the country is appropriate and not too lenient, says researcher and project manager Lars Roar Frøyland at Nova.
The majority also believe that the most important purpose of punishment is to rehabilitate the convicted person, he adds.
– Changed character
Frøyland believes there are several reasons why people have changed their minds about punishment, including that people are getting more and more knowledge about crime and punishment. In addition, one reason may be the change in the social debate.
– In some areas, such as the issue of punishment for cannabis and other narcotic substances, the social debate has changed its character, he says.
– The population is more polarized than before, many now advocate that punishment is not appropriate. Perhaps this debate and similar ones have almost spilled over into the general view of punishment.
