U.N. BACKS SUCCESSFUL DRUG POLICY
The United Nations Office of Drugs & Crime has endorsed the restrictive illicit drug policy of Sweden as the most successful in Europe.
Life time prevalence of drug use among 15-16 year olds in Europe was 22 per cent in 2003 compared to only 8 per cent in Sweden and has now fallen to 6 per cent in Sweden in 2006.
Drug use in Sweden has declined in recent years whereas countries in Europe have experience an increase in illicit drug use.
Sweden has low levels of injecting drug use related HIV/AIDS infections.
Swedish drug policy is highly effective in preventing drug use.
Sweden has enjoyed a broad political consensus over the direction of drug policy with its vision of a drug free society.
(Source: Sweden’s Successful Drug Policy: A Review of the Evidence, September 2006 available at www.unodc.org)
The Drug Advisory Council of Australia Comments
Australian statistics show that we are close to the European experience of about one in four teenagers having used an illicit drug at some time in their life.
The target for Australia should be that no more than 4 per cent of teenagers should have used an illicit drug during their life.
The reason for this lower 4 per cent target is that Sweden has in the past achieved this target which sets world’s best practice.
Australia should copy Sweden by targeting is restrictive drug policies at teenagers using the experience that teenagers that have not used an illicit drug by age 20 are unlikely to do so later in life.
Australian courts should copy Sweden by directing illicit drug users into detoxification and rehabilitation to get them drug free.
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
5/2007