1996

After intensive discussions on the topic of "Addicted youth?" in the presence of 20 parliamentarians, the young people called for the legalization of cannabis products, combined with more repression against drug dealing and an expansion of prevention, against the backdrop of the two initiatives "for a sensible drug policy" and "youth without drugs". By 69 votes to 63, the young people also demanded a more intensive fight against international drug trafficking. To this end, they are calling for a change in the law as part of a petition that would allow the authorities to uncover the laundering of drug money, for example by facilitating insight into suspicious bank accounts. The young people identified a lack of security and integration in "today's consumer and performance society" as the cause of drug use. As a countermeasure, they called for the creation of "family-friendly work models that enable an optimal division of labor" in order to strengthen the family "as the smallest possible cell of social life". "However, we do not consider the number of petitions as a measure of our success. The result of our efforts is something else: it is motivated young people who are convinced that politics is something important and that it is worthwhile to think about and participate. The Youth Session is not a paper machine, but produces concrete opportunities for participation that are otherwise rare."- Cornelia Diethelm, long-time OC member