MP: Alcohol So Expensive, Young People Turn To Drugs

An MP for the Independence Party contends that the high price and poor accessibility of alcohol in Iceland has led to young people using drugs instead.

Vísir reports that Independence Party MP Vilhjálmur Árnason addressed parliament today, starting first by saying that police need to conduct more intense investigations of money laundering in the drug world, as “drugs are first and foremost about money”.

Then Vilhjálmur took a small detour on the subject, saying, “Kids have started using cannabis more than alcohol, because it is so expensive and so difficult to get [alcohol.] At the same time, it’s much more difficult for parents and employers to see who is under the influence of cannabis, while they can see if someone is abusing alcohol.”

While Vilhjálmur cited no sources for his contention that young people use cannabis more often than alcohol, albeit for the reasons he mentioned, he did work for a number of years as a police officer. His arguments could, then, be purely anecdotal.