The short version
- FpU leader Simen Velle (23) opens up about drug use as a teenager.
- Twice he was caught by the police. Once for cannabis, which he used regularly for periods, and once for cannabis and cocaine, which he says he has tried twice.
- He recently announced his ambition for a place in the Storting for the Progress Party.
- Velle hopes his openness can help other young people.
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FpU leader Simen Velle has hardly told anyone what you are about to read. Not in internal Frp. Not in the youth party.
For six years he has had waking nights, fearing that the past will haunt him.
Now he chooses to tell.
– It has been a really heavy burden. But being open and honest, and telling if it has been the right thing to do. I put all my cards on the table, says Velle.
As a teenager, Simen Velle used illegal drugs. Mainly cannabis. Twice he was caught by the police. It led to a preliminary hearing – and a verdict.
On Monday 19 February 2018, when he was 17, he and two friends were caught by the police for keeping approx. 100 grams of hashish for personal use.
All confessed and were convicted. Velle was sentenced to 30 days conditional imprisonmentA person who is sentenced to a suspended sentence does not have to serve time in prison, provided that he fulfills certain conditions. for violation of the Criminal Code section 231 first paragraph.“Anyone who illegally manufactures, introduces, executes, acquires, stores, sends or transfers substances which, according to rules based in section 22 of the Medicines Act, are to be regarded as narcotics is punished with a fine or imprisonment of up to 2 years.”
– Have you told this to anyone in the Frp or FpU?
– No. It has been a bad secret to keep. Considering I’m growing up and becoming an adult politician, there’s no better time to share it than now.
Heavy teenage years
Velle believes it was right that he was sentenced, and will take responsibility for his own actions. At the same time, he recalls that he was under 18 years of age.
He wants to explain what led him to end up making choices that he now regrets.
– In April 2016, my parents divorced. And in the autumn, right after school started that same year, dad started an investigation into what is called Huntington’s disease“Huntington’s disease is a dominantly inherited, degenerative brain disease that manifests itself in involuntary movements and incurable dementia.” Source: Great Norwegian Lexicon.
A year later, the father received the diagnosis. The time afterwards was difficult.
– It first manifested itself in me becoming very anxious, which later turned into depression, for which I have gone to treatment. Child protection, the outdoor contact in Asker, the school and several other actors were involved, but I was 16 and struggled to deal with all the thoughts that were swirling around in my head.
Velle was little at home, and a lot out with friends. And he struggled to sleep.
– Quite quickly, smoking cannabis became an escape for me. I smoked because it made me let go of all my thoughts. What I didn’t realize at the time was that while I was keeping my thoughts at bay, I was making my own situation quite a bit worse.
– On two occasions I came into contact with the police. Both times because I was caught using drugs. Of course, I should never have done that, and I now see it as the biggest mistake I have made in my life.
Velle’s first encounter with the police was while he was at a party.
– I was caught red-handed. Then I was caught with exactly one gram of cannabis and 0.2 grams of cocaine. I’ve tried cocaine twice in my life, and the second time I got caught.
– Cannabis was what I was doing. That was my thing. I smoked it to sleep. It was frequent or occasional use. From once a month to once a week, depending on how heavy I was.
The second time was during a winter holiday when he and two friends had bought cannabis. It was this incident that resulted in a verdict.
– I have fought day and night since then to become a better version of myself.
Regrets
Velle describes the drug use as self-medication – and says it happened when he was 16 and 17 years old.
– I have never in my life regretted anything as much as what I am doing around this. And to be completely honest, it’s a great relief to be able to say what I’ve known for quite some time.
– I have a very deep understanding that this disappoints many. Most of all, it has disappointed those who are close to me, but I have learned from the mistakes I have made, and I am happy that I have managed to get out of the deep hole I was in, he says.
– I am telling this with the hope that there are some other young people out there who are as desperate as I was, I want them to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that the only way to move forward is to ask for help.
– A bad secret
– Have you used narcotic substances after you were caught?
– No, that was the last time.
Earlier in the month, Velle announced that he wants to fight for a place on the Oslo Frp’s parliamentary list, in order to enter the Storting after the election in 2025.
Velle recently told Klassekampen that he is embarrassed by a drug policy which he believes kills several hundred Norwegians a year.
He himself supported the Solberg government’s drug reform – and is in favor of the legalization of all drugs.
– I think for obvious reasons that addiction treatment is important. That we help people, before they end up on the wrong track.
The FRP is against both decriminalization and legalization, and in the same Klassekampen interview, Velle said that drug policy is the issue that creates the most internal noise between the FRP and FpU
– FRP takes the fight against crime very seriously. What reflections do you make about it, considering your own past?
– I think it is right that you are judged for the wrong steps you take. So there are many things I want to do to avoid ending up in such situations. But I broke the law, and it was right that I was sentenced.
– What does your family say to you now sharing this?
– They are very proud of me. And to be honest, I’m very proud of the guy I’ve become, me and. I have never bothered anyone else. I only hurt myself. Of course I regret that, but I have learned a lot from it.
Velle’s parents are aware that he shares his story, and what is published in VG.
– I hope that my openness can lead to some other young people not making as bad choices as I did. Burying yourself is not the solution. You have to accept the outstretched hands you are given. I didn’t realize it then. It has cost me dearly. A hard-earned lesson.
– The darkest moments of my life
While Velle has become an increasingly visible politician, the fear that his past with drugs will haunt him has never been far away.
Now that the matter comes up again, he is dragged right back.
– I was dragged straight back to the darkest moments of my life. I was sent right down that hole again. There will probably be some conversations about this with my psychologist after this.
– It is brutal to have to be open and honest about what other families take behind closed doors. There are many families who would not even tell their aunts and uncles about this, while I sit and share it with the whole country through VG. It costs. But I must pay that price, because this is what is true.
– How are you?
– I’ll manage, me. This was six years ago, and for a 23-year-old, that’s my whole adult life. For me, this is a long way back in time. I was a child and I have done a lot of good since then. I choose to focus on everything that has been good.
– Glad Simen is open
After the interview with VG, Velle briefed Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug about his past and about the sentence.
She is happy that he chooses to be open.
– There are many who experience a difficult youth and who make stupid choices. Simen tells a strong story. I think it is good that he is open and honest about the problems he has faced. He can be a good role model for other young people in a difficult situation, says Listhaug to VG.
And further:
– It is entirely possible to manage well even if you have made a mistake. Politicians will never be flawless, but honesty lasts the longest. That’s why I’m glad Simen is open about his story.
