An Approach That Increases Harm - Sweden & Drugs

Sweden's drug prevention

The aim of the Swedish government is to provide a drug-free society to people. The government for years has led an enforced set of rules and policies related to the use and smuggling of drugs inside the country and the tracks of it from it is coming. The successful Swedish model of enforcement-led approach to preventing drugs has been used as an argument against decriminalisation, legal regulations and drug policy reforms. We at the best addiction treatment center in karachi say that the policies are food the good.

Research has shown that the laws have always been harsh on matters like drugs and alcohol but the cause of the prevalence of drugs in a particular area is driven by factors such as wider social, economic and cultural factors. How the low prevalence of drugs in the country due to enforcement-led control over drugs has been questionable.

While the drug use and spread or prevalence has always been in better control than many countries but the use of drugs increased overall by a few degrees but the harm reduction measures had a serious negative impact which is never spoken about and ignored this means an increase in diseases specifically those diseases associated with the drug users like Hepatitis- C and more than 600% of the increase in drug-induced deaths.

Background of Policy

To achieve a drug-free society, Sweden adopted a "zero tolerance" approach to drug use and invested heavily in law enforcement, prevention and abstinence treatment. This policy model emerged in the 1960s in response to the increase in drug use seen in many developed countries at the time.

Initially, only fines were imposed, but in 1993 imprisonment was added. The introduction of these harsher penalties was a prerequisite for the police to be able to conduct blood and urine tests without the person's consent. At the best addiction treatment center in karachi we have discussed the policy.

The number of people convicted of drug offences has more than doubled in the last decade. Although fines dominate, the vast majority of convictions (83%) are for simple drug possession or use3.

In 2007, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime issued a report entitled "Sweden's successful drug policy: a review of the facts. Societies get the drug problem they deserve," which noted in particular that "in the case of Sweden, the clear correlation between restrictive drug policies and low levels of drug use is striking.

However, studies have consistently failed to demonstrate a link between the stringency of a country's drug laws and the level of drug use. A 2008 study using World Health Organization data from 17 countries (excluding Sweden) concluded, "Globally, drug use is not evenly distributed and is not simply related to drug policy, as countries with strict policies on illegal drugs did not have lower levels of use at the user level than countries with liberal policies.

Research about Prevalence

Research shows that the prevalence of drug use is largely determined by a complex interplay of social, economic and cultural factors. Drug policies - and in particular the enforcement of drug laws - have at best a limited impact. Moreover, the prevalence of problem drug use is strongly correlated with high levels of social exclusion and social inequality - two indicators on which Sweden has historically performed very well as a rich country with a highly developed and generous welfare state (although in recent years the level of wealth and income equality in the country has deteriorated). Sweden is also characterised by a somewhat conservative and socially moderate culture, relatively low alcohol and tobacco consumption and low consumption of prescription drugs. The best addiction treatment center in Karachi has also done research on drug abuse.

However, it is important to recognise that the effectiveness of drug policies should not be measured solely by the prevalence of drug use; there are many other indicators of success, and Sweden performs much worse on these indicators.

Drug-Induced Deaths

Further evidence that low levels of drug use do not necessarily mean low levels of drug-related harm is provided by the fact that the drug-related mortality rate in Sweden in 2012 was 62.6 deaths per million inhabitants, which is more than three times the European average (17.1 deaths per million inhabitants). Some progress has been made, however, as the number of overdose deaths in Sweden has led some to recognise that a new approach is needed. The provision of OST and NSP is certainly better than ten years ago, but it is still inadequate. Political bureaucracy and constant rhetoric about medical shortages remain an obstacle to the development of the necessary comprehensive programmes, which means that Sweden has been unwilling to support such programmes at the international level.

Sweden's abstinence-based, punitive approach to drug control has had a negative impact on the health and well-being of the drug-using population at the expense of proven harm reduction services. These consequences are likely to be even more severe in the absence of a comprehensive health and social care system and a culture of abstinence. After all, the Swedish example underlines that the prevalence of drug use is only one indicator of success - the overall impact on health cannot be ignored.