The citizens’ initiative, which calls for the trial of supervised drug use rooms in Finland, has reached the required 50,000 signatures and has moved to parliament for consideration by members of parliament.
The initiative, which advocates for facilities as a way to reduce drug deaths, received the necessary support in less than six months.
In Finland, the criminalization of drug possession and use has so far prevented testing in controlled drug use rooms.
In such facilities, drug users can use illegal substances under the supervision of a healthcare worker.
The initiative refers to THL’s statement
The initiative justifies the need for supervised drug consumption facilities on the grounds that it would reduce opioid overdose deaths, which is one of the most common causes of premature death in the adult population in Finland.
In support of the claim, the supporters of the initiative refer to the statement issued by the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) in January, which proposed the introduction of supervised drug consumption facilities as a way to reduce drug-related deaths in Finland.
The initiative also claims that the facilities will minimize disruption in public spaces and reduce the risk of used needles becoming a nuisance.
Drug-related deaths have increased in Finland throughout the 2000s. According to Statistics Finland, in 2020, 258 people died of drug-related causes in Finland.
Compared to the rest of the European Union and Norway and Turkey, Finland has the highest number of drug-related deaths among people under the age of 25. Last European Drug Report.
In 2019, the city of Helsinki proposed to the government the introduction of legislation enabling the trial of drug use rooms. However, the matter did not progress at the government level.
Source: The Nordic Page