The drug policy of Sweden is based on zero tolerance focusing on prevention, treatment, and control, aiming to reduce both the supply of and demand for illegal drugs. The general drug policy is supported by all major Swedish political parties with the exceptions of the Left Party – which advocates for the decriminalization of private consumption – and five of the seven major parties' youth wings.
Legal penalties According to 1 § Narkotikastrafflagen of the Swedish Penal Code, it is a criminal offence to: provide narcotics produce narcotics which is meant for misuse possess narcotics with the intent to supply acquire, process, package, transport and store narcotics offer narcotics for sale possess or trade narcotics-related payments convey contact information between buyers and sellers or any other such act if the intent is to promote the trade of narcotics possess, use or handle narcotics.
Penalties are divided into four degrees. If the offence is deemed minor, the penalties range from fines to a maximum of six months in jail. Due to a ruling by the Supreme Court, the penalty for minor drug offenses, such as personal use of cannabis or other illegal drugs, is not imprisonment. A typical penalty form for a minor drug offence is around $300 in fines if the person is 18 or older and has a low income.Lawlin:straffvärde för ungdom som rökt cannabis The normal grade of narcotics crime may result in penalties ranging from fines to a maximum of three years in jail. If the crime is deemed a serious narcotics offence, the penalties range from at least two years in jail to a maximum of seven years in jail. Exceptionally serious offences can result in a prison sentence of at least six years and a maximum of ten years.
The number of reported drug crimes has increased sharply in recent years. The increase is primarily due to attempted drug possession reported to the police by postal workers. Previously, it was strictly forbidden for postal employees to report suspicious shipments to the police.Drugnews: Lagändring bakom rekordmånga narkotikabrott,2024
There is also related legislation for mandatory health care that can be used in conjunction with a sentence for a drug-related offense.
Classification of drugs Substances which are classed as narcotics are categorized into five schedules: Schedule I: narcotics which usually do not have medicinal value according to the Swedish Medical Products Agency. It includes heroin, cannabis, psilocybin, khat, LSD, ecstasy and other ecstasy-related substances. Substances on this schedule may not be entered into the country unless they are meant for research or medicinal purposes that are approved by the Medical Products Agency. Schedule II: substances which may only be brought into the country in an amount that corresponds to a maximum of five days personal consumption, which has to be justified. It includes amphetamines and other synthetic substances with medicinal value along with cocaine, morphine, methadone, GHB and others. Schedule III: substances that are turned into morphine once in the human body such as codeine and dextropropoxyphene. Substances under this schedule abide by the same restrictions as those under Schedule II. Pharmaceutical painkillers that contain codeine or dextropropoxyphene are generally not classed as narcotics unless each individual pill contains at least 100 mg of codeine or at least 135 mg of dextropropoxyphene. Schedule IV: sedatives such as barbiturates and benzodiazepine compounds, with the exception of flunitrazepam. Substances on this schedule may be brought into the country at most in an amount that corresponds with three weeks of personal consumption, if the patient resides permanently in Sweden. For persons who are temporarily visiting the country, a maximum supply of three months may be brought in. Schedule V: dextromethorphan as well as the sleeping agents zopiclone and zolpidem, among others. The same rules that apply to Schedule IV apply to Schedule V substances.
Effects A study conducted in 2000 supported the view that the new tougher policy had a preventive effect on drug use. A report by the UNODC praised Sweden for having one of the lowest drug usage rates in the western world, and attributed this to a drug policy that invested heavily in prevention and treatment (including free community services), as well as in strict law enforcement.Sweden's successful drug policy, UNODC: 2007. However, the methodology of the UNODC report has been criticized for being unscientific and fundamentally biased in favour of repressive drug laws, since Sweden was the fourth largest donor to the UNODC in 2007.Peter Cohen: Looking at the UN, smelling a rat: A comment on "Sweden's successful drug policy: a review of the evidence", UNODC September 2006, Cedro UVA. Additionally, low cocaine use may be due to the relative geographical separation of the country from the major ports of distribution, whereas illicit use of other drugs such as opioids and amphetamine are much more prevalent. Opioid use disorder death rate is much lower in Sweden(2,6 per 100 000) than in the US (15,4 per 100 000) or Canada(6,9 per 100 000)On world i data: Opioid use disorder death rate, 2021
Two Swedish cities topped the rank in illicit amphetamine use out of the 25 European cities tested in a residual water analysis study in 2022.
According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), in 2005, the rate of drug-related deaths per capita in Sweden was more than twice that of the Netherlands and there were more persons addicted to severe narcotics ("heavy drugs") than in other countries. White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske in 2011 cited Sweden's Drug Control Policies as Model for U.S.; prevalence rates for cocaine use in Sweden are barely one-fifth of fellow European countries, such as the United Kingdom and Spain.White House Drug Policy Director Kerlikowske Meets with Swedish Counterdrug Officials, ONDCP, 21 March 2011
Between 2005 and 2013, the EMCDDA recorded a more than doubling in the rate of drug-induced mortality among adults (15–64) in Sweden, with the country moving from having the ninth to having the second highest rate in Europe.Drug-induced mortality rates among adults (15–64), EU: EMCDDA. There is no evidence that the increase in the number of drug-related deaths is due to an increase in the number of injecting drug users; most indications are that the number of injecting drug users has declined. Comparison of statistic between countries is problematic because countries have different practices for which drugs are included in the statistics and how common it is to carry out a thorough forensic examination. In Sweden, this is handled by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine, the dead persons estate and relatives do not have to pay for this examination, it is paid for with tax money. A large part of the reported deaths in Sweden are linked to various pills that contain other legal or illegal drugs than the classic drugs(Heroin, opium, amphetamine and cocaine).In 2023, 792 drug-deaths (legal or illegal drugs) were found in 5966 forensic examinations. 61 of the 792 contained traces of Heroin, the corresponding figure for Amphetamine was 51, Methadone 62, Alpraxzolam 105, Oxycodone 96, Buprnorfin 71, Alimemazin 63, Tramadol 63, Zipiklon 79, Cocaine 36 ... Statistics are published for the 15 most common drugs. Many bodies had traces of more than one drug.https://www.rmv.se/om-oss/forskning/statistik/ Swedish Board of Forensic Medicine,: Tabell 2. Antal förgiftningsdödsfall för de 15 vanligaste substanserna (läkemedel/droger) som bedömts* orsaka förgiftningen. Ärende uppdelade på dödsår.
There are several other causes behind the increase in the reported number. A 2020 study from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reported the death rate from drug overdose in Sweden was of 6.46 per 100.000 inhabitants, second only to Iceland and nearly triple the average of Europe.
History Historically, Sweden had been a poor country with a comparably low standard of living. Although it is a member of the vodka belt and has a tradition of widespread tobacco use, other drugs were rarely used until the mid-20th century. The 19th century saw the rise of the temperance movement, alongside free churches and the labour movement.SFI: The health of the Swedish people – a historical perspective, 2004 State alcohol rationing, state monopoly on retail stores in alcohol, and temperance boards in the municipalities were introduced around the First World War. This resulted in low levels of alcohol use throughout the 1930s. The temperance boards continued to exist after alcohol rationing ended in 1955.
The first narcotics law The first official narcotics law came in 1923 with the Royal Ordinance on Narcotic Drugs, or Narkotikakungörelsen, when Sweden had ratified the First International Opium Convention into their law as well.https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1448157/FULLTEXT01.pdf [in Swedish] The law regulated the import and export of some opiates and cocaine. In 1930, the law was extended to include more opium derivatives and cannabis. Possession was restricted as well. Initially, the punishments consisted of fines.
Before Narkotikakungörelsen, a person's use of drugs was considered a personal choice of the user and their doctor. Non-medical drug use was rarely seen, but did exist among medical personnel, bohemian artists, writers and jazz musicians. Often the drugs used were supplied by prescription.
Introduction of amphetamines In 1938, amphetamine was introduced in Sweden, and a year later required a prescription. In 1942, approximately 3% of the Swedish population had a prescription for amphetamine, while the vast majority used under five amphetamine tablets per year, about 3,000 citizens were known to take it daily and among them about 200 used over 10 amphetamine tablets per day." The Swedish experience" in The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1972. In 1942, amphetamine was added to the list of controlled substances. Gradually the supervisory authority, the Royal Medical Board, made more stringent recommendations for prescribing narcotic drugs.
Sometime in the late 1940s, a group of artists began dissolving amphetamine tablets in water so that it could be purified and injected intravenously. This habit was soon taken up among drug users in Stockholm.
Early changes in the drug laws In the 1950s, there were signs of emerging drug use in Stockholm. On 27 April 1954, the first debate was held in the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, regarding drug use. The center-right opposition had filed an interpellation about the drug problem. The issue discussed was whether the government considered that drug use justified an increased vigilance by society and, if so, if it was considering a change in the laws to rectify the problem. The Riksdag believed that further debate was unnecessary since information, collected from the Royal Medical Board and the Police, stated that drug abuse was not a serious problem in Sweden.
In 1958, the punishments became harsher, setting a minimum fine and introducing up to six months imprisonment as a possible penalty. In 1962, the law was superseded by the Decree on Narcotic Drugs, Narkotikaförordningen, which increased the maximum prison term to two years. Amphetamines became the primary illicit drug until the late 1960s, when cannabis became more popular.