Sweden – From harm reduction to prohibition and back?

Presentation and discussion by Ted Goldberg

When: March 22nd 2010: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Where: Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre – 2110 W 43rd Ave. (at West Boulevard); Room 104

Cost: Free

Registration: No registration is required – but come early as seating is limited.

In 1922 Sweden held one of the few national referendums in its history to decide if the country should follow in the footsteps of the U.S. and forbid alcohol. Prohibition was rejected by a very slight majority of the voters. The country decided that we could live with alcohol, but that policies must be devised to minimize harm. Some of the primary measures decided upon and the principles upon which they are based will be presented. To what extent are these principles relevant for drug policy in modern industrial societies?

In the 1960’s when problematic use of illicit substances rapidly increased in marginalized segments of the population, and recreational use became commonplace among middle class youth, most western societies grappled with the problem of devising measures to deal with these new contingencies. As opposed to alcohol, Sweden decided that it couldn’t live with these drugs and zero-tolerance became the basis of policy. Why did the country now choose Prohibition?

For decades Sweden was one of the staunchest defenders of Prohibition in Europe. Upon joining the European Union in 1995 Sweden took every opportunity to promote "the Swedish model". However, without officially proclaiming a reorientation of illicit drug policy, a number of harm reduction measures have been instituted since the turn of the millennium. And in 2009, when Sweden held the chairmanship of the European Union, and therefore had a major opportunity to set the agenda, illicit drug policy was hardly mentioned. What might this imply concerning future drug policy?

After presenting these themes there will be an opportunity to discuss the extent to which Swedish experiences are relevant for Canada and Vancouver today.

Ted Goldberg, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology at the Univ. of Gävle, and Associate Professor of Social Work at Stockholm Univ. He has been doing research on people who use illicit substances and on drug policy for more than 40 years and is the author of numerous books and articles on these subjects. Over a period of 4½ years he did participant observation research on the major drug scene in Stockholm. He has developed a labeling theory model to explain both how people become problematic users and why it is so difficult to get off drugs. Ted Goldberg is also an active participant in the drug debate in Sweden.