Is Weed Legal In Finland

Is weed legal in Finland? Everything you need to know about marijuana in Finland

Marijuana is one of the most hotly-debated drugs in the world. Many countries have made it illegal, whereas others believe it’s okay to let people living there take it. Finland has a liberal stance on many things, but is weed legal in Finland?

Understanding the laws surrounding marijuana in Finland is crucial if you plan to visit, especially if you’re partial to a smoke in your homeland. If you’re unsure and end up on the wrong side of the law, you might face significant trouble.

This article will discuss whether cannabis is legal in Finland for recreational use. We’ll also talk about whether you can use it for medical purposes, along with what the laws are for bringing it into the country and more.

Understanding marijuana laws in Finland

Today, it is totally illegal to use marijuana in Finland for recreational use. The country first began moving in this direction in 1966, and — after a second vote in 1971 — the drug was made illegal in 1972.

If you’re found to possess marijuana in Finland, you are liable to criminal action — depending on the severity of your offense. Similarly, you cannot sell the drug, and you will find no official outlets for buying the drug in the country.

Since the original law banning weed in Finland came into place, legislation has undergone several alterations. And while things might change in the future — as you’ll find out later in this article — keeping in mind the current laws is a good idea.

Is Weed Legal In Finland

Is it illegal to grow weed in Finland?

Like buying and selling marijuana, you are not allowed to grow cannabis in Finland — even if you’re doing so for medical purposes. If the police find that you’ve been growing weed, you can expect to have your plants confiscated and possibly face criminal action.

As is the case when buying and selling weed, it’s up to the police to determine how severe they deem your offense to be — and what punishment you should face as a result of your actions.

Punishments for marijuana involvement in Finland

The penalties related to weed in Finland depend on how bad of an offense you’ve committed. If you’re found to have a small amount of marijuana on you, you will typically only receive a fine.

However, it’s worth noting that the Finnish police can give you a criminal record — which can hinder your chances of fully participating in Finnish society.

If you’re found guilty of selling or producing marijuana or possessing it in larger amounts, you’re going to find yourself in more trouble than you would have liked. The police can choose to fine you for smaller quantities, but in more severe cases, you could receive imprisonment of up to two years.

If the police find that you possess significant amounts of weed and you’re deemed to be a threat to others, the consequences for getting involved with weed in Finland are much worse. If you have more than 100kg of cannabis on you, for example, you can receive a prison sentence that exceeds seven years.

When it comes to drug laws in Finland, you’ll fall into drug-user, narcotics, or aggravated narcotics violations. The latter is the most extreme, with the former being much more lenient in comparison.

Is it illegal to bring weed into Finland?

Finland is in the EU, and some member states — such as the Netherlands and Portugal — allow you to smoke marijuana while in those specific countries. With that in mind, are you allowed to bring marijuana into Finland?

The short and simple answer here is a resounding no. If you’re found to be possessing weed when entering the country, you can expect to have your drugs confiscated. It’s up to the border police whether they’ve decided you’ve committed a bad enough crime to be refused entry into the country.

Considering that weed is illegal in Finland, you should think carefully about possessing it before entering. As mentioned by the Finnish immigration authorities, you can be deported as a non-EU or EEA citizen for a selection of reasons.

These include:

● Being a repeat offender;

● Being a danger to the safety and security of Finnish society;

● You receive a jail sentence for an offense you’ve committed.

Remember that if you’re found guilty of a significant offense, you might also receive a ban from entering the entire Schengen Area.

While it’s rare for an EU or EEA citizen to be deported from another member state, the authorities can still do so if they feel your actions threaten Finnish society.

Is Weed Legal In Finland

Is pot legal in Finland for medical purposes?

Many countries that have criminalized the casual use of marijuana have permitted people to use it for medical purposes. You will find this in some of the other Nordic countries, including Denmark.

Norway has also recently taken steps to open up medical use of cannabis, but is it possible to do so in Finland as well?

In short, using weed in Finland is technically legal if you’re doing so for a medical reason. However, the law isn’t so black and white; things are still incredibly strict, perhaps even more so than in some of the other Nordic countries.

If you want to use cannabis in Finland for medical reasons, you must receive permission from a medical professional in the country. Getting this is incredibly difficult; many people using weed in Finland have multiple sclerosis (MS) — a condition that attacks the nervous system.

Medical use of marijuana in Finland is typically the final option once everything else has been tried, and fewer than 500 people in the country use it. Even if you do receive a prescription, you’re only allowed to use certain types of cannabis products — namely Sativex.

Finland legalized the use of cannabis for medical use in 2008. If you’re allowed to use products for this reason in the country, the medical authorities will typically order it for you.

Will cannabis reform in Finland come anytime soon?

Weed being illegal in Finland is a relatively new phenomenon, and talks surrounding whether it should become legal again are hotly-debated. The Green League is a vocal supporter of re-regulating marijuana in Finland, and the political party has publicly expressed its opinions on the matter.

In September 2021, the Green League — one of the country’s largest parties — gave the green light to an initiative that aims to decriminalize weed use in the country.

Other important talking points related to it include:

● Weed is regulated in the same way as other legal drugs;

● People with a criminal record for using weed have this removed.

Other loud voices have called for reformation surrounding marijuana laws elsewhere, too. For example, the National Coalition Party’s youth section wants weed to be legalized in Finland.

As mentioned by the Helsinki Times, another initiative — which is currently waiting for the green light to go ahead — also expressed a desire for decriminalizing recreational marijuana use.

Meanwhile, an article published by Finnish media outlet YLE mentioned that many Finns have expressed support for regulating marijuana.

A blog post also cited in that article said:

Nowadays, even the very occasional user of cannabis can be caught and sanctioned by the police or the judiciary. This has a significant impact on the lives of young people. If criminality were waived, the issue of drug use could be raised more easily, for example, in schools or occupational health care. Current policies drive people to hide their use to the bitter end.

Do the Finns smoke a lot of weed?

Despite weed in Finland not being legal, it has significant usage among the general population. As mentioned in another article by YLE, marijuana is the most common recreational drug in Finland; many people in the country have not tried any other before.

As mentioned by the Helsinki Times, which cited statistics from a nationwide survey, marijuana is also a significant contributor to drug-related deaths in Finland. In 2019, the country saw 433 fatalities in this respect — 156 of which were linked with weed consumption.

Is Weed Legal In Finland

Is weed legal in Helsinki?

In some countries, different states and jurisdictions are allowed to make their own laws. But in Finland, that is not the case; whether you’re in Helsinki or another city, you are still not allowed to smoke marijuana in the country.

The penalties for possessing, growing, and selling weed in the Finnish capital will be the same as if you were to go to any other part of Finland.

Smoking weed in Finland is not worth the downsides

Is weed legal in Finland? In short, no — but that could change in the future. Compared to many other Nordic countries, marijuana use is a much more hotly-debated topic — and significant moves have been made to potentially legalize the drug in recent years.

Many Finns support the legal use of weed for recreational purposes, especially among the younger generations. But for now, the drug remains illegal — except for a select few medical instances.

Finland is one of those countries that everybody knows exists, but not many people know much about. The Finns are often left out of the discussion when talking about Scandinavia, and you can find out why here.

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