enlightened policies, Sweeden gives up it's drug war.

What has been blowing in the wind for a year is official.
Sweden will not be pursuing its prohibitionist crusade when
it takes over European Union Chairmanship next year. There
has been hot debate in Swedish media for months now following
semi official reports that Sweden is giving up its role as
Europe's super drug war hawk. The aggressive and powerful
prohibitionist organisations in Sweden, ECAD, Hassela and
the National Organisation For A Drug Free Society were livid
with anger when the news was first reported in 1999. They
demanded that Swedens crusade should continue unabated.
The Governments response has been that there is no longer
any sympathy in Europe for Swedish style hard line
prohibitionism.

Yesterday, 19 September, the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag)
officially opened with a statement of government policy
for the coming parliamentary year. Swedens goals during
their chairmanship of the European Union are extensivly laid
out. As expected, there is no mention of drugs or drug policy.

This is a major about face for Sweden who, ever since joining
the European Union, have had the export of their repressive
policy as a major objective. One reason behind their about
face is most certainly the collapse of the repressive policy
within their own country. Escalating recreational drug use, an
alarming rise in the number of hard drug addicts and one of
Europe's highest death rates amongst drug users leaves them
with nothing to brag about and hardly an example for others
to follow.

Recent reports show drug use is rampant in Swedish prisons,
with drug offences now accounting for 30% of all new prison
sentences handed out.
Sweden has lost the drug war and have now become an alarming
example of the failure of prohibition. Despite the official
dropping of their prohibionist crusade, the Swedish
prohibitionist organisations, especially ECAD, are still

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