Karoliina Simoinen
Buying drugs should not be treated only as something that affects an individual’s own life, writes Iltalehti editor Karoliina Simoinen.
Jari Sillanpää says in the documentary that he does not regret his actions. Andrea Turri
About Jari Sillanpää Silt– the second episode of the documentary was shown on Thursday on the MTV3 channel. The episode mainly focuses on Sillanpää’s drug convictions and the media frenzy that arose from the case.
The host Tuomas Enbuske, who spoke openly about his own drug use, says in the documentary that he had no moral problem with Sillanpää’s drug use. However, he condemned the fact that Sillanpää was driving under the influence of drugs.
– The gang drinks as much booze as they like, but on the other hand, drugs are so terrible. Bandit, criminal and everything else like that. After all, it’s a double standard and it sucks in that situation, Enbuske theatrically waves his hands.
– This is the country of alcoholics. Jari Sillanpää’s main problem is other drugs. These narcotics are a significant taboo in Finnish culture, which is really difficult to discuss. I think this is what changes this situation in a decisive way, music editor Pekka Laine utters to the camera.
Enbuske’s and Laine’s comments are the same myopic, individual-focused discussion about drugs that has been seen in public for a long time.
Mirka Vainikka, executive director of Irti humeiest RY, comments in the documentary that she finds such a phenomenon worrying, that the media defends the use of intoxicants and the occasional use of drugs. He justifies the matter by saying that in this case the discussion does not take into account the whole.
Although Vainikka also refers to the individual and the individual’s life with his comment, the drug discussion should also be conducted from a much larger perspective.
Supporting crime
A point of view that is often left out of public discussion is that everyone who has bought drugs has also been part of financing organized crime.
The drug world is a dirty world, because of which a huge number of people suffer and die. It is enough to turn our eyes to the capital of our western neighbor, Stockholm, where bombs have exploded this year as well, due to drug dealers’ turf wars. Last week, a 19-year-old man was shot in an affluent residential area in southern Stockholm. According to the locals, it is a drug trade. Interviewed by Yle Alice Forsberg brought up an important angle: the townspeople only buy drugs and don’t care about the conditions in which the drug traffickers live or what happens to them.
In the case of Sillanpää, it was not a one-time experiment, because Sillanpää has spent tens of thousands of euros on methamphetamine. Of course, it is difficult to consider such a point of view when a person is addicted and sick. However, everyone understands that buying drugs is illegal.
Sillanpää says directly in his documentary that he has no regrets. However, ethics is one of the most important aspects of companies and personal brands today.
Public figures are crucified in the public debate, for example because of fast fashion or the unethical nature of air travel. Also, buying drugs from criminal networks should not be treated only as a matter affecting the individual’s own life.
Jari Sillanpää was sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison sentence for a drug offense in 2018. He has said in public that he started using drugs, especially methamphetamine, in 2014.
