Faroe Islands move to take control of drug legislation to respond faster to new substances
21.09.2026 - The Faroe Islands are considering two related bills that would transfer responsibility for regulating controlled drugs from the Danish-Faroese framework to Faroese authorities. LM-008/2026 concerns the formal transfer of responsibility, while LM-009/2026 would make the necessary changes to existing drug legislation. The government says the proposed changes would allow Faroese authorities to respond more quickly to newly emerging substances and adapt drug regulations to local circumstances. Both bills were introduced to the Løgting on 24 August 2026 and are now undergoing parliamentary committee consideration.
The initiative addresses a problem identified by the Faroese government. Although drug regulation is already administered and largely financed by Faroese authorities, it remains a shared area of responsibility with Denmark. According to the government's explanation, this arrangement makes it time-consuming to update the regulations when new psychoactive substances need to be added to the list of substances restricted to medical and scientific use. Bringing the area under Faroese authority would allow regulations to be updated more quickly.
Faroese Minister of Health and Energy Eyðdis Hartmann Niclasen has highlighted the practical consequences of the current arrangement. In comments reported by Faroese media on 27 August, she pointed out that a substance can be prohibited in Denmark while remaining legal to import into the Faroe Islands because the Faroese regulations have not yet been updated. The government argues that transferring responsibility would strengthen its ability to respond to new and potentially dangerous substances.
The two bills address different parts of the transfer. LM-008/2026, introduced by Prime Minister Beinir Johannesen, would formally transfer legislative responsibility for controlled substances to the Faroe Islands. LM-009/2026, introduced by Niclasen, would amend the existing legislation to transfer the relevant powers from Danish to Faroese authorities. The proposed changes would also give the Faroese Health Authority additional responsibilities. In its consultation response, the authority argued that additional funding should accompany these duties, particularly for assessing the risks of new substances. The Ministry of Health and Energy, however, does not expect the transfer to require additional expenditure.
The Løgting considered the two bills together at their first reading on 28 August before referring them to separate committees. LM-008 is being examined by the Foreign Affairs Committee, while LM-009 is before the Welfare Committee. The latter has meetings scheduled for 23 and 24 September, followed by further meetings on 30 September and 2 October. The bills remain under consideration, and the proposed transfer of responsibility is intended to take effect on 1 January 2027, subject to parliamentary approval.
Additional sources: https://svf.fo/greinar/2026/08/24/rusevni-koma-nu-undir-foroyskt-malsraedi
