Sweden

Sweden is a northern European nation bordering the Baltic Sea between Finland and Norway. With 2.1 percent of the population between the ages of 15 and 64 using cannabis annually, Sweden has relatively low rates of illegal drug use, and is not a major factor in the international illicit drug distribution system.

In the ratifying the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union (EU) member states made a commitment to fight against drugs, with each country given the freedom to adopt its own stand-alone approach to drug policy. In 1995, Sweden entered the EU, introducing a restrictive drug control policy more similar in approach to the United States than to EU member states. Sweden's drug-free policy exceeded the requirements put forth by the Maastricht Treaty, and has engendered widespread criticism. The three core goals of this policy are to reduce the supply of illicit substances, prevent individuals from becoming drug users, and to stop drug addicts from continuing to use.

While the level of drug use is low in comparison to other countries, Sweden's policy views illegal drug use as a primary social problem, and relies on the strict enforcement of drug laws, targeting users and dealers, to rid the country of drugs. However, Sweden has not always had a restrictive policy. Sweden's policy was initially considered to have a liberal stance on drugs that primarily targeted drug dealers and traffickers, but over time became more restrictive with the rising abuse of amphetamines. In the 1950s the significant increase in amphetamine use was viewed as an individual medical problem, especially given that they were available as over-the-counter remedies.

However, in response to a growing subculture of amphetamine users, Sweden attempted to limit the availability of amphetamines to prescription only. This program was short lived due to lenient prescription practices. Also, marijuana, originally used for its medicinal purposes, emerged as a popular drug of choice among Swedish youth. During the 1960s, marijuana became the most commonly used narcotic in the country. The use of heroin was also increasing among drug users. This widespread availability and abuse of narcotics, especially among criminal populations, spurred public concern and prompted the drug policy to be supplemented by a more coercive model.

The drug policy paradigm started to shift in the 1980s, and is thought to have been largely influenced by the conservative approach of President Ronald Reagan in the United States. The number of convictions and prison sentences nearly doubled compared to the prior decade. During this period, laws restricting the possession of narcotics that had previously gone unenforced were adamantly prosecuted. The government also restricted the use of waivers of prosecutions for minimal possession. New laws prohibiting the consumption of drugs were enacted and penalties increased from fines to six months' incarceration.

These laws also allowed law enforcement to use more invasive measures to obtain evidence. For instance, the Drug Offences Act authorized compulsory blood and urine tests to identify illicit substance abuse. It is estimated that 75 percent of drug policy costs are aimed at the enforcement of directives, with the majority of the expenditures focusing on the investigation of drug crimes and corrections. Another main expense of the criminal justice system that has resulted from the increase of criminal cases [Page 753]is the cost of handling drug offense cases and compulsory treatment.

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