Pubdate: Wed, 27 Sep 2000
Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000
Contact:  http://www.examiner.ie/
Section: Letters
Author: John Yates

SWEDEN LOSING DRUGS BATTLE

The Swedish drugs adviser, Borje Dahl, claims that the restrictive Swedish 
narcotics policy has succeeded in reducing the number of young people using 
drugs in the country to under 3% (Irish Examiner, September 6, 2000). His 
claim is not supported by the Swedish Government's own published figures.

According to that report the use of illegal drugs in Sweden is escalating 
out of control.

Drug use amongst young people has more than doubled during the 1990s, with 
18% of young men now using drugs.

Sweden also has one of Europe's highest death rates amongst drug users, 
with over 250 deaths due to drug abuse annually in a country with less than 
nine million inhabitants.

Sweden's draconian drug laws have not even succeeded in keeping Swedish 
prisons drug free. The number of drug users in Swedish prisons has risen to 
more than 5,000.

Far from being an example of the success of repressive narcotics policy, 
Sweden is a stark warning of the failure of narcotics prohibition.

John Yates,
Jaktvagen 3B13,
10650 Ekenas,
Finland.
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