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InvisibleSimplepowa
In Pursuit of Knowledge


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 4,310
Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm
    #20983216 - 12/16/14 05:11 AM (9 years, 5 months ago)

Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm

Submitted by: George Murkin
Post Date:
15th Dec 2014

The content of this blog is available to download as a briefing here >

The central aim of Swedish drug policy is to create a drug-free society. To achieve this aim, the country has adopted a punitive, enforcement-led approach to drugs. It is this approach, some have argued, that is responsible for Sweden’s historically low levels of drug use. This apparent success of the Swedish model is therefore often presented as an argument against drug policy reforms such as decriminalisation and legal regulation.

However, the degree to which Sweden’s low prevalence of drug use can be attributed to its repressive approach is highly questionable, as research consistently shows that wider social, economic and cultural factors are the key drivers of drug prevalence – not the harshness of enforcement.

Also of note is that levels of drug use in Sweden, while in relative terms still very low, are increasing.  Furthermore, the Swedish model – in particular its antipathy to proven harm reduction measures – has had serious negative consequences that are almost never mentioned by its advocates. These include alarmingly high rates of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs, and a 600% increase in drug-induced deaths over the last 20 years.

... read more: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-policy-sweden-repressive-approach-increases-harm


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Carl Sagan - "Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people."

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Robert Pirsig - "When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion."

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Brian Cox - "[One] problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense."

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Offlinestanski
Stranger
Registered: 07/14/11
Posts: 299
Last seen: 2 years, 6 months
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: Simplepowa]
    #20983989 - 12/16/14 10:34 AM (9 years, 5 months ago)

The majority of Swedes I've met treat weed like heroin (while singing schnappsvisa's and chugging vodka like its nbd), it is obviously a hugely cultural bias as to why drug use is "relatively" low there compared to other countries. I don't see this changing anytime soon, the amount of ignorance present and the amount of trust Swedish people have for the government and what the government tells everyone means people i've met who know people with MS refuse to even google the possibility that weed could potentially be beneficial.

"Everyone in the U.S. just gets medical marijuana because they want to get high! It doesn't do anything!" Is the general attitude. And don't even try to start on drugs other than weed. Its feels quite hopeless and must have been what 1980's America felt like, I do hope there is a gradual change but am not holding my breath.

Even people I've met that do smoke, and mentioned the possibility of a person being a 'smoke every day' person and being a functional member of society, generally respond with "wow they are going to die so young! That is so bad for your health!" Which I guess may be the case in sweden when badly cut hash mixed with tobacco is what is generally smoked. And any talk of psychadelics just turns to "people lose their minds and jump in front of busses," the ignorance is just astounding and makes me just jump into another schnappsvisa in order to drown my sorrow and get everyone in a better mood.

Edited by stanski (12/16/14 10:39 AM)

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Offlinekneesocks
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Registered: 12/25/11
Posts: 870
Loc: Puget Sound/PNW Flag
Last seen: 2 years, 2 months
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: stanski]
    #20987596 - 12/17/14 12:49 AM (9 years, 4 months ago)

Don't forget about Swedish snus too!


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"An ignorant man is lost, faithless, and filled with self-doubt;
A soul that harbors doubt has no joy, not in this world or the next."
-Bhagavad-gita 4:40

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InvisibleSoupSandwich
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Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 12/08/14
Posts: 4,440
Loc: Lost
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: kneesocks]
    #20997680 - 12/19/14 05:12 AM (9 years, 4 months ago)

I'll have to bring this issue up next time my uber-liberal friends hate
on America as a Pariah and praise Sweden as Heaven on Earth.:tongue:

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Offlineknarkkorven
Entheoholic
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Registered: 06/22/05
Posts: 1,709
Loc: Sweden Flag
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Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: SoupSandwich]
    #20999234 - 12/19/14 02:56 PM (9 years, 4 months ago)

A long time ago there was a goal set up by the government to reach a drug free society. To reach the goal we adapted the American drug of war, with the "say no on drugs", gateway-theory and everything... also with the addition of treating all drugs the same in the propaganda.

The result? Well, the drug use sky rocked, prices fell, almost every year is a new record year when it comes to the number of deaths caused by drugs.

Only recently the public health care policy somewhat moved to a harm reduction policy regarding needle exchange, while in our neighbor states (Denmark, Norway), heroin addicts have places where they can come and administer the drugs with medical staff close by. The decision met hard resistance from anti-drug organizations and politicians, was seen as "helping users to get high" and inviting new users since the tools were clean of diseases.

Being a drug user is very stigmatized, and since the majority think all drugs are the same (effect and harm-wise) young people coming in contact with cannabis and realizing it's not the horrible devils weed but a very nice and unharmful way to get high can get the wrong idea that the same is true for harder drugs. And at the same time alcohol is treated with the most hypocritical standards. The people drunk enough to barely being able to stand up can in a discussion tell you how bad weed is for your brain...

When it comes to anti-cannabis propaganda "scientists" and medical "experts" often mention the great risk of cannabis psychosis. Most other countries doesn't use this diagnosis and include it in a wider "risk of cannabis schizophrenia", which isn't a big risk at all, only 40% higher than non-users. It has been estimated that the government need to keep 5000 people away from cannabis to avoid one single case of cannabis-related schizophrenia. Not very well spent tax money...

Well.. scientific facts can't be used on religious beliefs. Thats what it is here. The utopia vision of a drug free society is like waiting for the second coming of Jesus or something, the anti-drug-priests tell us next year... or the year after that... :frown:

Hopefully the legalization process in the US and EU will wake my people and take away the propaganda induced blindness.

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Invisibleroquet
Expat tippler
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Registered: 05/29/07
Posts: 1,195
Loc: Dubai بجدية عربي...
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: knarkkorven]
    #21001324 - 12/19/14 11:53 PM (9 years, 4 months ago)

You say:
Quote:

knarkkorven said:
drug use sky rocked, prices fell, almost every year is a new record year when it comes to the number of deaths caused by drugs.



But in the article it says:
Quote:

Sweden’s low prevalence of drug use



So it sounds like you're trying to give the impression of high drug use to back up your stoner's agenda. Doesn't fit your argument that Sweden has low drug use? So you lie about it? You're no better than the government.

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Offlineknarkkorven
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Registered: 06/22/05
Posts: 1,709
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Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: roquet]
    #21004177 - 12/20/14 05:18 PM (9 years, 4 months ago)

You can have many drug deaths and still have low prevalence. It just takes a very bad drug policy...
There were almost no users when the first prohibition laws were funded, and almost noone died.
The more harsher the laws and punishments became, the more users and overdoses followed.

Didn't you even look at the link?

Quote:

a 600% increase in drug-induced deaths over the last 20 years.




sources:

Quote:

In 2012 there were 412 drug-induced deaths reported in Sweden, and the data indicate an increasing trend with the number of cases doubling compared to 2004, when 188 drug-induced deaths were reported. Of the 412 cases reported in 2012 some 308 were male. The mean age of victims was 41years. For almost all cases (401) toxicology reports were available, and the data indicate the presence of opioids (mainly buprenorphine and fentanyl) in the majority (344) of these cases.

The drug-induced mortality rate among adults (aged 15–64) was 62.6 deaths per million in 2012, more than three times the European average of 17.1 deaths per million.

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/country-overviews/se





And for 2013 the number is 589 dead.

Edited by knarkkorven (12/20/14 05:20 PM)

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Invisibleroquet
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Registered: 05/29/07
Posts: 1,195
Loc: Dubai بجدية عربي...
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: knarkkorven]
    #21010542 - 12/22/14 12:48 AM (9 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

knarkkorven said:
You can have many drug deaths and still have low prevalence. It just takes a very bad drug policy...
There were almost no users when the first prohibition laws were funded, and almost noone died.
The more harsher the laws and punishments became, the more users and overdoses followed.



But you said drug use "skyrocketed". So what was it, low prevalence or did it skyrocket? You can't have both.

And then you link more users to harsher punishments. So you think people decide to use drugs because of tougher restrictions on doing so? Really?? So you think a trend of increased drug use across Europe and the breakdown of society in Sweden thanks to immigration has nothing to do with it?

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Offlineknarkkorven
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Registered: 06/22/05
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Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: roquet]
    #21010920 - 12/22/14 04:03 AM (9 years, 4 months ago)

When there was no prohibition, drug use was low. The harsher the laws got, the more people used drugs. A "sky rocket" trend doesn't mention anything about the the final "altitude", only the course.
Obviously, laws doesn't make people use drugs, but it doesn't stop them from using drugs either. This is the most prominent evidence of a failed drug policy and what I'm trying to point out here. Countries like Thailand and Malaysia even tried enforcing death penalty, it didn't work either. Did our countries learn anything from that? No. There is still a wildly recognized idea that prohibition has LOWERED the number of users, deaths, and damage on society, and that even harsher laws is the solution to fully getting rid of the problems. No-one mentions better drug education (without propaganda) or focusing on health care instead of incarceration. Problematic drug use will never be solved by justice system, quite the opposite - it created the black market and associated stigma which is more harming than the drug effects.

Sky rocketing trends following prohibition (official statistics):

Number of customs/police seizures. Important dates: 1988 - possession for own use was prohibited. 1993 - drugs in your body (blood/urine) was prohibited:
http://wiki.magiskamolekyler.org/images/9/98/Beslag_av_knark.jpg

Cannabis use among high school/college students:
http://wiki.magiskamolekyler.org/images/6/61/Ungdomar_provat_narkotika.jpg

I could go on and on about this, making a hundred different examples, but something tells me that you will resist to understand the message because of ideological views. :wink:

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Invisibleroquet
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Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: knarkkorven]
    #21018941 - 12/23/14 08:29 PM (9 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

knarkkorven said:
When there was no prohibition, drug use was low. The harsher the laws got, the more people used drugs.



Again you seem to be suggesting harsher drug laws are responsible for increased drug use. Whereas I think increased use is caused by cultural trends that were mirrored across Europe and North America. I agree harsher laws do little to reduce drug use but I don't think they increase it. However, I can see how they could increase drug deaths. BTW, you have to go back to pre-1923 for a time when there was no drug prohibition in Sweden.

The death penalty for drug trafficking in Thailand and Malaysia was introduced because of perceived high levels of drug use. It didn't create them and you wouldn't expect it to have much effect in reducing them. That doesn't necessarily indicate a failed drug policy.

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OfflineRezzeren
a shitty community


Registered: 12/03/14
Posts: 33
Last seen: 5 years, 5 months
Re: Drug policy in Sweden: a repressive approach that increases harm [Re: roquet]
    #21026304 - 12/25/14 10:31 PM (9 years, 4 months ago)

Kind of just seems like that humans will use drugs, regardless of legality...


--------------------
I'm doing this because I like to grow mushrooms.
Not because I like to trip.

It just so happens that I also like to trip, and I get to trip because I like to grow mushrooms.

  :mushroom2: :grin:

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