Norway’s drug laws could be an example for the rest of the world, leading healthcare and police figures from around the world have said.
Drug policy in the Scandinavian country is not longer a criminal matter but one of public health - a move that has been widely praised by experts.
Now 20 international policymakers and stakeholders from 10 countries have outlined a number of further reforms to ensure the policy platform can work as an even better template for other countries to follow.
In a joint letter sent to Norway’s health minister, Brent Hoie, they provide a number of suggestions to minimise the stain of drug use on society.
It also calls for the decriminalisation of non-violent drug offences, investment in treatment programmes and aftercare facilities, along with drug substitution therapies.
“We hope the Minister of Health in Norway as well as the global community will consider these recommendations in their important effort to change both Norwegian and global drug policy reform initiative,” the letter states.
One of the letter's signatories, Steve Rolles, a senior policy analyst at the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told The Independent the reforms should inspire change in the UK.
He said that decriminalisation approaches were "more than just a change in the law, they need to be part of a wider reorientation towards a health led approach and away from the failings of the punitive enforcement model".
He added: “Change is already happening in the UK with several police forces piloting de facto decriminalisation, or ‘diversion’ schemes, but as yet central government has been very much opposed."
The reforms to Norway the letter was calling for would "add pressure" to other governments, he said.
He said the British government had been opposed to reforms despite recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the Royal Society of Public Health, the World Health Organisation, the British Medical Association and publications including the British Medical Journal and Lancet.
“Even public opinion is in favour - so it is hard to understand what the obstacles are," he said. "Still, Norway’s reforms will undoubtedly add to the pressure for change - so it is very welcome.”
In response to calls for reforms a Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government has no plans to decriminalise drug misuse.
“There is a substantial body of scientific and medical evidence to show that controlled drugs are harmful and can damage people's mental and physical health, and our wider communities.
“Our new Drug Strategy sets out a balanced approach which brings together police, health, community and global partners to tackle the illicit drug trade, protect the most vulnerable and help those with a drug dependency to recover and turn their lives around.”
