Cannabis in Svalbard

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Cannabis in Svalbard is illegal. Practically functioning as ungoverned terra nullius prior to the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, the Arctic Ocean archipelago dominated by glaciers and barren rock, is part of Norway, and hence Norwegian law applies. [1] Under it, there is a sliding scale approach to cannabis legislation. Possession for personal use, defined as up to 15 grams, is punished with a fine of between roughly 1,500 and 15,000 Norwegian kroner. [2] Possession of amounts larger than that is punished by jail, ranging from 6 months all the way up to 21 years. These laws are enforced by the Norwegian Police Service, the small Svalbard district of which is run by the Governor of Svalbard. [3]

Contents

Context

With the exception of minor scientific stations, Svalbard has three main permanently inhabited settlements – the administrative capital Longyearbyen, the Russian coal mining town Barentsburg, and the small research settlement Ny-Ålesund. As of 1 July 2015, the archipelago's total population is 2,677 people, in addition to large numbers of temporary workers and tourists. [4] The use of illegal drugs is a small but growing issue within Svalbard's society, according to the Longyearbyen Community Council. While there is reportedly little evidence of an active narcotics trade in Longyearbyen, authorities are encouraged to pay close attention to the increasing liberalization of opinions relating to drug use among Svalbard's youths, and ample amounts of substance abuse prevention measures have been enacted. [5] A 2013 survey has shown that cannabis consumption among youths on Svalbard is somewhat lower than among youths on the Norwegian mainland, although certainly still existent. Significantly, only 7% of those surveyed stated that a belief that they – if they wanted to – could procure cannabis within a couple of days, compared to 41% of youths on the mainland. [6]

2011 bust

In 2011 the police made one of Svalbard's first drug busts, in which a total of 11 people were apprehended under suspicion of both using and selling cannabis. [7] They were charged with a total of 24 offenses, which resulted in a 26 percent rise in the regional crime rate that year. One of them was later expelled from the archipelago, and another given a preliminary warning of expulsion. [8] That autumn, the Governor of Svalbard officially announced the presence of illegal drugs among "young adults" in Longyearbyen. [5] Following a lengthy investigation, a similar drug bust was made in October 2015, when a multi-national group of 11 men and women in their twenties were arrested and charged with, primarily, possession of cannabis, with some suspicion of cocaine usage as well. [9] Several of those apprehended were given fines ranging between 4,000 and 9,000 Norwegian kroner. [10] Whether any of them are to be expelled from Svalbard is currently under investigation. Following this event, an online poll run by the local newspaper Svalbardposten showed that 86% of respondents favored expulsion for drug crimes, although some sentiment towards legalization or decriminalization was also found. [8] The Governor of Svalbard, Kjerstin Askholt, stated that her administration has zero-tolerance policy towards illegal drugs, and "will do what we can to prevent a drugs culture from establishing itself here". [7]

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

While cannabis is strictly illegal in Svalbard, there is one place in the archipelago that possesses an amount of it – the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. A seed bank located outside of Longyearbyen, the secure vault contains thousands of seeds from around the world, in order to ensure their preservation in case of other seed banks being destroyed or damaged during large-scale regional or global crises. Among the species of plant preserved in the vault are around 21,500 seeds belonging to the cannabis genus, donated in 2014. [11] The seeds were provided by Alchimia, a Spanish seed bank. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

Svalbard Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean

Svalbard, previously known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Situated north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya, and the largest settlement is Longyearbyen.

Spitsbergen Largest island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway

Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway.

Svalbard and Jan Mayen Two parts of Norway under separate jurisdictions

Svalbard and Jan Mayen is a statistical designation defined by ISO 3166-1 for a collective grouping of two remote jurisdictions of Norway: Svalbard and Jan Mayen. While the two are combined for the purposes of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) category, they are not administratively related. This has further resulted in the country code top-level domain .sj being issued for Svalbard and Jan Mayen, and ISO 3166-2:SJ. The United Nations Statistics Division also uses this code, but has named it Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands.

Longyearbyen Largest settlement and administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway

Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank of the Longyear Valley and on the shore of Adventfjorden, the short estuary leading into Isfjorden on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the island's broadest inlet. Since 2002 Longyearbyen Community Council has had many of the same responsibilities as a Norwegian municipality, including utilities, education, cultural facilities, fire brigade, roads and ports. The town is the seat of the Governor of Svalbard. It is the world's northernmost settlement of any kind with more than 1,000 permanent residents. Since 2015 Arild Olsen has served as Mayor.

Sveagruva Place in Svalbard, Norway

Sveagruva, or simply Svea, was a mining settlement in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying at the head of Van Mijenfjord. It was the third largest settlement in the archipelago. Around 300 workers living in Longyearbyen commuted to Sveagruva for work on a daily or weekly basis. The mine was operated by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. There is no road to Longyearbyen or any other settlements, so travel is done by air from Svea Airport and coal transport by ship from a port 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest. Sveagruva closed in 2017 and currently has no permanent inhabitants.

The polar archipelago of Svalbard was first discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596, although there is disputed evidence of use by Pomors or Norsemen. Whaling for bowhead whales started in 1611, dominated by English and Dutch companies, though other countries participated. At that time there was no agreement about sovereignty. Whaling stations, the largest being Smeerenburg, were built during the 17th century, but gradually whaling decreased. Hunting was carried out from the 17th century by Pomors, but from the 19th century it became more dominated by Norwegians.

Pyramiden Ghost town in Svalbard, Norway

Pyramiden is an abandoned Soviet coal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard which became a popular touristic destination. Founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927, Pyramiden was closed in 1998 and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place, the cold climate preserving much of what has been left behind.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault Globally accessible seed bank on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a secure seed bank on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Conservationist Cary Fowler, in association with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), started the vault to preserve a wide variety of plant seeds that are duplicate samples, or "spare" copies, of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The seed vault is an attempt to ensure against the loss of seeds in other genebanks during large-scale regional or global crises. The seed vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement among the Norwegian government, the Crop Trust, and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).

Politics of Svalbard

Svalbard lies under the sovereignty of Norway, but the Svalbard Treaty places several restrictions. Norway cannot use the archipelago for warlike purposes, cannot discriminate economic activity based on nationality and is required to conserve the natural environment. Uniquely, Svalbard is an entirely visa-free zone. Everybody may live and work in Svalbard indefinitely regardless of country of citizenship. Svalbard Treaty grants treaty nationals equal right of abode as Norwegian nationals. Non-treaty nationals may live and work indefinitely visa-free as well. "Regulations concerning rejection and expulsion from Svalbard" is in force on non-discriminatory basis.

Svalbard has a population of approximately 2,395 people as of 2011. Approximately 70% of the people are Norwegians; the remaining 30% are Russian and Ukrainian. The official language of Svalbard is Norwegian. Russian is used in the Russian settlements, but formerly, Russenorsk was the lingua franca of the entire Barents Sea region.

Svalbard Airport, Longyear Main airport serving Svalbard, Norway

Svalbard Airport, Longyear is the main airport serving Svalbard in Norway. It is 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Longyearbyen on the west coast, and is the northernmost airport in the world with scheduled public flights. The first airport near Longyearbyen was constructed during World War II. In 1959, it was first used for occasional flights, but could only be used a few months a year. Construction of the new airport at Hotellneset started in 1973, and the airport was opened on 2 September 1975. It is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor.

Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani

Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK), or simply Store Norske, is a Norwegian coal mining company based on the Svalbard archipelago. It was formed in 1916, after a Norwegian purchase of the American Arctic Coal Company (ACC).

Outline of Svalbard Overview of and topical guide to Svalbard

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Svalbard:

Climate of Svalbard

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The climate of Svalbard is principally a result of its latitude, which is between 74° and 81° north. Climate is defined by the World Meteorological Organization as the average weather over a 30-year period. The North Atlantic Current moderates Svalbard's temperatures, particularly during winter, giving it up to 20 °C (36 °F) higher winter temperature than similar latitudes in continental Russia and Canada. This keeps the surrounding waters open and navigable most of the year. The interior fjord areas and valleys, sheltered by the mountains, have fewer temperature differences than the coast, with about 2 °C lower summer temperatures and 3 °C higher winter temperatures. On the south of the largest island, Spitsbergen, the temperature is slightly higher than further north and west. During winter, the temperature difference between south and north is typically 5 °C, and about 3 °C in summer. Bear Island (Bjørnøya) has average temperatures even higher than the rest of the archipelago.

Economy of Svalbard

The economy of Svalbard is dominated by coal mining, tourism and research. In 2007, there were 484 people working in the mining sector, 211 people working in the tourism sector and 111 people working in the education sector. The same year, mining gave a revenue of 2.008 billion kr, tourism NOK 317 million and research 142 million. In 2006, the average income for economically active people was NOK 494,700, or 23% higher than on the mainland. Almost all housing is owned by the various employers and institutions and rented to their employees; there are only a few privately owned houses, most of which are recreational cabins. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to live on Svalbard without working for an established institution. The Spitsbergen Treaty and Svalbard Act established Svalbard as an economic free zone and demilitarized zone in 1925.

The Svalbard Act of 17 July 1925 no. 11, normally referred to as the Svalbard Act, is a law of Norway which governs the major aspects of the Svalbard archipelago. The law was passed by the Parliament of Norway on 17 July 1925, establishes Norwegian sovereignty of the island, and states that Norwegian criminal law, civil law and procedure law are enforced on the island. Otherwise, other provisions and laws only apply when specified. The act further established the policy for administration, including creating the Governor of Svalbard, and since 2002, Longyearbyen Community Council. The act also establishes rules for real estate and environmental protection.

Indre Wijdefjorden National Park

Indre Wijdefjorden National Park is located in a steep fjord landscape in northern Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. It covers the inner part of Wijdefjorden—the longest fjord on Svalbard. The national park was established on 9 September 2005 and covers 1,127 km2 (435 sq mi), of which 745 km2 (288 sq mi) is on land and 382 km2 (147 sq mi) is sea. The marine environment changes vastly from the mouth of the fjord, through a still, cold, water basin, becoming deeper before reaching the glacier Mittag-Lefflerbreen at the inner-most sections of the fjord.

Longyearbyen Community Council Local government for Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

Longyearbyen Community Council is the local government for Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway. It has many of the same responsibilities of a municipality. It is organized with a 15-member council which since 2011 has been led by Mayor Christin Kristoffersen of the Labour Party. The council's main responsibilities are infrastructure and utilities, including power, land-use and community planning, education from kindergarten to upper secondary level and child welfare. It operates three kindergartens in addition to the 13-grade Longyearbyen School.

Agriculture in Svalbard Svalbards agriculture

Agriculture in Svalbard – the archipelago containing the world's northernmost permanently inhabited settlements – has a short history, and remains a minor economic factor, but has nonetheless had a culturally and socially significant role, as well as an ecologic impact. Svalbard is home to the Global Seed Vault, which serves to protect the world's biological and agricultural diversity. Polar Permaculture Solutions, AS was formed in January 2015. Polar Permaculture has been focused on producing locally grown food in town, and also with composting food waste.

Arctic World Archive Data preservation facility in Svalbard, Norway

The Arctic World Archive (AWA) is a facility for data preservation, located in the Svalbard archipelago on the island of Spitsbergen, Norway, not far from the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It contains data of historical and cultural interest from several countries, as well as all of American multinational company GitHub's open source code, in a deeply buried steel vault, with the data storage medium expected to last for 500 to 1000 years. It is run as a profit-making business by private company Piql and the state-owned coal-mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK).

References

  1. ↑ Byers, Michael; James Baker, James (1 August 2013). International Law and the Arctic. Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–20. ISBN   978-1-107-04275-9.
  2. ↑ Brant, Emma (30 October 2014). "Where in the world can you legally smoke cannabis?". BBC . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "The police in Svalbard". www.sysselmannen.no. Governor of Svalbard . Retrieved 26 October 2015. Svalbard is an independent Norwegian police district, and the Governor is Chief of Police.
  4. ↑ "Population of Svalbard, 1 July 2015". www.ssb.no. Statistics Norway. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 Ruspolitisk handlingsplan 2012 - 2023 (in Norwegian). Longyearbyen Community Council. 20 March 2012.
  6. ↑ Aalmen, Trude; Karoliussen, Kent-Ronny; Andreassen, Marit (2014). "Ungdataundersøkelse viser fuktig ungdomskultur på Svalbard" (PDF). Rusfag (in Norwegian). Regionale Kompetansesentre Rus (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  7. 1 2 "The high North". The Arctic Journal. 21 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Police arrest 11 in drug raid after lengthy investigation; some suspects may face exile from Svalbard". Icepeople. Longyearbyen. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Barstein, Geir (23 October 2015). "Vil vurdere utvisning etter narkoaksjon: – Enkelte av dem har saker på rullebladet fra før". Svalbardposten (in Norwegian). Longyearbyen . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Noreng, Susanne (20 October 2015). "11 personer tatt i politiaksjon på Svalbard". Nordlys (in Norwegian). Tromsø . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Greiner, Robert (18 November 2014). "Her oppbevares frøene til et ulovlig rusmiddel". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  12. ↑ De Rosa, Marie (15 April 2014). "Frøhvelvet fikk cannabis-tilbud". Nationen . Retrieved 26 October 2015.

What is the Svalbard Global Seed Bank

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