– More qualified to sit in the Storting

The short version

• FPU leader Simen Velle (23) receives support from colleagues in youth politics and Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug after telling about a previous drug conviction.
• Young Conservative leader Ola Svenneby believes Velle is now more qualified for the Storting and praises his honesty.
• Ane Breivik in Unge Venstre calls Velle a role model and hopes his story can influence FrP to rethink drug policy.
• KrFU leader Hadle Rasmis Bjuland stands firm on the party’s line on the prohibition of drugs, but believes Velle deserves new chances.

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On Tuesday, he told VG that he had previously been convicted of using illegal drugs in his youth.

Now he gets support from his colleagues in the youth parties.

– Simen has my full support. It is good that he tells, and in my opinion he is more qualified to sit in the Storting now, says Ola Svennebyleader of Unge Høre.

Velle recently announced his ambition for a place in the Storting for the Progress Party.

Svenneby tells VG that the Storting needs representatives like Velle. What he calls “people who have a lived life”.

– Many young people resort to illegal drugs recreationallyMeans “for fun”, and in this context: Using the drug for the sake of the drug., or to escape from challenges in the early teens. Simen leads by example, and shows that there is an afterlife and you can get back on your feet, he says.

Svenneby has previously criticized the current drug policy in other media, and believes that it should be legalized in the safest possible way, according to Aftenposten.

The Young Conservative leader says that he is on good terms with Velle even outside of politics. He does not want to comment in more detail on Simen’s story, but says that he is primarily proud.

– The first thing I did was send him a message when I read the case, he says.

His openness may lead to more discussion about drugs. He believes many people will have sympathy for Velle.

– If we are not going to have members in the Storting who have experimented with drugs, then we will eventually have quite a few to choose from. It is not unusual.

– Have you tried illegal drugs?

– I am not going to answer that, because it has nothing to do with whether you are a good politician or not.

– Both Barack Obama and Jens Stoltenberg have admitted to cannabis use. It’s not about liking it or not liking it. But that cannot be used as a basis for excluding political positions.

Praised by Unge Venstre

Simen Velle’s acknowledgment of drug use has also garnered praise from another youth party on the right.

Ane Breivik in Unge Venstre believes that Velle’s experiences reinforce the weakness of today’s drug policy. She believes Velle is a role model.

– It is strong and very tough of Simen to come out with such a story. Conviction for illegal drugs in particular is very taboo in today’s society due to the drug policy. Criminalization leads to stigma, says Breivik.

– When young people who are down as a result of drug use and stigma from society know about it, it is hope and inspiration just to hear a role model speak out about it.

She hopes Velle’s story will influence the Progress Party’s leader Sylvi Listhaug to soften in favor of a drug reform.

– I hope Simen gets his party to turn things around in this particular matter. In 2025 we may have a bourgeois government, and that government should carry out a drug reform. Sylvi Listhaug has been skeptical, and hopefully her party colleague will make the FRP rethink this matter, says Breivik.

She tells VG that she herself has also tried cannabis, but has never experienced prosecution for it.

– I have not been a heavy consumer of cannabis. It’s not my drug of choice. It’s nicotine, she says.

Party leader Listhaug tells VG that she is happy that Velle chooses to be open.

– 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, she says.

Doesn’t change my mind about drugs

Leader of the Christian Folkepartis Ungdom, Hadle Rasmus Bjuland, also has sympathy for Velle, but does not change his opinion on the drug policy.

– The KrF’s line is clear. That the police should have more tools to uncover drugs, and that it should still be prohibited. Our policy is clear there, says Bjuland.

However, he does not believe that Velle’s openness will haunt him in his political career.

– He shares openly and honestly. It commands respect. Everyone can make mistakes. There must be room to get new chances, he says.

The openness can create more trust, believes Bjuland.

– Have you used illegal drugs?

– No I have not.

Leader of AUF, Astrid Willa Eide Hoem, says Velle’s openness is brave.

– This is one of the few issues on which the Fpu and AUF agree, that we want to decriminalize drugs. In the future, I hope that those who experience the same as Simen will not receive punishment, but help.

– How common is it among politicians to have tried illegal drugs?

– It is difficult for me to answer. The fact that people have had a youth, as Simen tells about, should not mean that you cannot be in politics.

– Have you tried cannabis?

– No.