Chair of the Left Alliance, Minja Koskela, delivered the party leader’s political review at the Left Alliance party congress in Vantaa on 22 November 2025. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva
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The Left Alliance has approved a new party programme supporting the legalisation of cannabis use and its sale through state-owned stores, according to an article by Helsingin Sanomat.
The decision came during the party congress held in Vantaa on Sunday, where delegates also endorsed allowing limited personal cultivation. The updated platform marks the first time the Left Alliance has formally supported full legalisation, moving beyond its earlier stance that only called for decriminalising personal drug use and minor possession.
With the change, the Left Alliance becomes the second parliamentary party in Finland to support legalisation. The Greens added a similar policy to their platform earlier in 2024.
Under the new proposal, cannabis would be treated in a regulated manner, with access controlled similarly to alcohol and pharmaceuticals. The party calls for retail sales to be limited to government-run shops. Such a model mirrors systems in place in Canada and several US states where cannabis is legal.
Legalisation of cannabis remains prohibited under European Union drug legislation, which defines cannabis as a narcotic. Although the EU does not forbid national governments from removing criminal penalties for personal use or possession, full-scale legalisation of sales is not permitted under current frameworks.
The Finnish Parliament is currently reviewing a citizen initiative demanding the legalisation and taxation of cannabis. The matter is being handled by the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee. The Social Affairs and Health Committee has already rejected the initiative’s call for law reform. In its dissenting opinion, the Left Alliance and the Greens argued for studying the removal of criminal penalties for cannabis and other drugs, even if legalisation is not pursued immediately.
In Finland, support for cannabis legalisation has grown slowly. A 2023 national survey by the Institute for Health and Welfare showed 24 percent of respondents supported legalisation. The same survey found growing support for decriminalisation, with 29 percent of respondents being ready to lift criminal sanctions against the use of all drugs.
Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Minister for Social Security and a National Coalition MP, condemned the proposal on social media.
“I expected nothing else, but once again completely irresponsible, the left!” she posted on X. “Politics that increase drug experimentation among young people and drug-positive attitudes in our society is wrong politics.”
Arto Satonen, a fellow National Coalition MP, also opposed the move. He described it as alarming and warned of cannabis being a pathway to harder drugs. “It is genuinely shocking that the Left Alliance is pushing this,” he wrote.
In addition to the cannabis proposal, the Left Alliance’s party congress adopted new employment policy goals, including the introduction of a €15 minimum hourly wage. Finland does not currently have a statutory minimum wage, as pay levels are set through collective bargaining agreements. Minja Koskela, chair of the Left Alliance, said the reform would ensure fair compensation across the labour market.
The party also proposed a work condition supplement for non-standard employment contracts and called for a job guarantee scheme offering publicly subsidised employment to those unemployed for over 12 months.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
