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As nations across Europe and beyond regulate cannabis to safeguard public health, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) faces a critical question: Are criminal penalties for cannabis possession proportionate to any legitimate aim?

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The rule of law demands clarity, yet for over 15 years, the ECtHR has refused to examine whether cannabis prohibition serves a valid purpose under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). On June 23 and 24, 2025, therefore, Norwegian activists, led by the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies (AROD), will bring their fight to Strasbourg, staging civil disobedience at the ECtHR and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to demand accountability and defend fundamental rights.

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Requiem for the Rule of Law

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Since 2008, AROD has challenged Norway’s justice system, exposing its failure to justify the criminalization of cannabis users. The Norwegian Constitution and human rights law require sound reasoning for punishment, yet for over two decades, official reports have shown penal measures lack a rational basis. Cannabis users remain criminalized not due to evidence, but because legal systems cling to outdated prohibitionist dogma, and AROD’s Requiem for the Rule of Law exhibition lays bare this dark chapter, exposing lawyers who have failed to provide an effective remedy against one of history’s gravest legal transgressions.

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On June 23 and 24, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, AROD will stage 4-hour exhibitions outside the PACE building (Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg) during the PACE Summer Session, confronting parliamentarians with the ECtHR’s inaction and demanding urgent reform. On June 24, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, a 3-hour exhibition outside the ECtHR (Place de la Cathédrale) will mark a historic stand, capturing the Court’s systemic failures for global audiences through powerful imagery and public engagement, and demanding urgent reform.

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A Novel Legal Issue Ignored

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Punishment based on refuted premises is arbitrary persecution. As countries like Germany, Malta, and Luxembourg embrace regulated cannabis markets to reduce harm and protect public health, the ECtHR’s deference to state authority undermines the ECHR’s principles. If regulated markets better serve public health and curb criminalization’s harms, prohibition cannot be deemed necessary in a democratic society, and the ECtHR’s refusal to engage with cannabis prohibition as a novel legal issue violates its own standards.

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When a case raises new questions, the Court must provide detailed reasoning, yet it has dismissed challenges to cannabis penalties as “manifestly ill-founded” without analysis. This evasion—possibly driven by institutional pressures—breaches procedural fairness and casts grave doubt on the Court’s commitment to human rights. Even the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group and PACE have voiced frustration with the Court’s opacity, and its reliance on an “emerging European consensus” fails to justify ignoring evidence that regulated markets better protect public health.

Join Us in Strasbourg

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The stakes are monumental. For 15 years, systemic bias has shielded prohibition from scrutiny, perpetuating human rights violations. The Requiem for the Rule of Law exhibition, displayed during PACE’s Summer Session and at the ECtHR, exposes this betrayal and demands justice. As European consensus on cannabis regulation grows, Strasbourg’s silence undermines the rule of law, and PACE, as the ECtHR’s overseer, must ensure judges uphold their mandate with rigor.

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AROD’s civil disobedience will not cease until justice prevails and systemic failures are addressed. We call on activists, scholars, and citizens worldwide to join us in demanding that the ECtHR evaluate cannabis prohibition’s legitimacy and proportionality, and on June 23 and 24, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, you are invited to join us at the Palais de l’Europe to challenge PACE parliamentarians. On June 24, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, you are invited to stand with us at Place de la Cathédrale to hold the ECtHR accountable, and we will stage annual demonstrations with friends of liberty at the ECtHR and PACE until the rule of law is restored.

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Event Details: In addition to cannabis, the Requiem for the Rule of Law exhibition will feature the following visuals: