15-20 Thousand Icelanders Habitual Cannabis Users

Around 15-20 thousand Icelanders, or around 5.2% of the total population, use cannabis regularly, according to Helgi Gunnlaugsson, a professor from the University of Iceland, who researches cannabis use. This was among topics discussed at a conference hosted by SÁÁ, the National Centre of Addiction Medicine, reports MBL.

Cannabis is the most used drug in Iceland, with 35% Icelanders having tried the substance, including 8% of tenth graders. Helgi’s research found that around 12% of primary school students had tried cannabis more than ten times.

Despite the figures for underage children being low in comparison to other European countries, its use has increased in recent years.

More men than women use cannabis.

Legalisation “dangerous”

Recently, Reform Party MP Pawel Bartozek put forth a proposal in Parliament that would legalise the use of cannabis. Speaking at the SÁÁ conference, Kári Stefánsson, the CEO of deCODE genetics lashed out at the proposal, calling it “dangerous”.

“I have a hard time keeping my language civil when I discuss addiction and politics. I think the proposal by the Reform Party MP shows that he’s a bit on the autism spectrum,” Kári told the conference. “I believe legalisation is extremely dangerous.”

Instead he called on Parliament to form a better and more comprehensive policy to fight addiction.