Narcotics Policy

The party programme establishes that people trapped in addiction should have access to care and be treated with respect, and that work against drugs is needed at all levels from prevention to police work. The election manifesto rejects repression and harsh measures as the main solution and demands that problems be tackled seriously with preventive measures. A research-based review with focus on harm reduction and preventive action thus aligns with the plan.

• care and respect in addictiondecisive»Människor som fastnat i missbruk ska ha tillgång till den vård« (party programme ↗)“People trapped in addiction should have access to the care”
• prevention before repression»Alltför ofta lyfts repression och hårdare tag upp som lösningar istället för att ta itu med problemen på allvar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Too often repression and harsh measures are lifted up as solutions instead of tackling the problems seriously.”
• coordinated drug work»mot narkotika i alla led, från det förebyggande till polisarbetet.« (party programme ↗)“against drugs at all levels, from prevention to police work.”
• drugs as a social problem»Droganvändningen är jämt fördelad över alla samhällsklasser men det är de mest utsatta i samhället som drabbas hårdast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Drug use is evenly distributed across all social classes but it is the most vulnerable in society who are hardest hit.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto states that both crimes and the causes of crime shall be combated, and that at least one krona shall be spent on preventive work for every krona spent on more police. The party programme sees the best long-term crime prevention in reduced social inequality. This supports the counter-proposal's demand for a research-based review with preventive and harm-reduction measures, although the plan at the same time requires action against drug trafficking.

• crimes and their causesdecisive»Bekämpa både brotten och brottens orsaker.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Combat both crimes and the causes of crime.”
• equal spending on prevention»För varje krona som läggs på fler poliser, ska minst en krona läggas på det förebyggande arbetet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“For every krona spent on more police, at least one krona shall be spent on preventive work.”
• social causes central»Men den långsiktigt bästa brottsbekämpningen är att bygga ett samhälle där de sociala« (party programme ↗)“But the best long-term crime prevention is to build a society where social”
• stop drug smuggling»Vi vill ta krafttag mot införsel av vapen och narkotika, bland annat genom stärkt gränskontroll.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to take action against the smuggling of weapons and drugs, among other things through strengthened border control.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan states that addiction is a disease and that focus must shift from punishment to treatment, and that drug policy must be based on methods research has shown to be most effective in reducing the harms of addiction. That is exactly the counter-proposal's demand for a fundamental review based on the latest research with a focus on harm reduction and on measures now. The plan simultaneously maintains a drug-free society as a long-term goal, which does not prevent harm reduction measures.

• care over punishmentdecisive»Den enskildas missbruk är en sjukdom och vi vill se ett ändrat fokus från straff till vård.« (party programme ↗)“An individual's addiction is a disease and we want to see a shift in focus from punishment to treatment.”
• research-based harm reduction»Missbrukspolitiken bör utgå från de metoder som forskningen visat vara mest effektiva för att lindra skadeverkningarna av missbruk och beroende, både för samhället och för individen« (party programme ↗)“Drug policy should be based on methods that research has shown to be most effective in reducing the harms of addiction and dependency, both for society and the individual”
• needle exchange and medication»Personer som lider av missbruksproblematik ska erbjudas bästa möjliga hjälp och stöd, att komma ur sitt beroende och att få ett värdigt liv genom sådant som sprututbytesprogram och medicinering.« (party programme ↗)“People suffering from addiction problems must be offered the best possible help and support to overcome their addiction and achieve a dignified life through such things as needle exchange programmes and medication.”
• drug-free society as goal»Målet är ett narkotikafritt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“The goal is a drug-free society.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme requires that people with substance abuse problems have influence over their own lives and receive the support they need, that care is based on science and established practice and that a preventive approach is a prerequisite for sustainable welfare. The counter-proposal's requirement for a research-based review with focus on harm reduction and on preventive measures follows from this. The plan does not specify a goal for narcotics policy.

• stöd vid missbrukdecisive»psykisk ohälsa eller missbruksproblem måste ha inflytande över sitt liv och få det stöd som behövs.« (party programme ↗)“psychological ill-health or substance abuse problems must have influence over their lives and receive the support they need.”
• vetenskapsbaserad vård»God vård och omsorg i hela landet, baserad på vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet, är viktigt för den enskilda« (party programme ↗)“Good care and welfare throughout the country, based on science and established practice, is important for the individual”
• förebyggande arbete»En förutsättning för en hållbar välfärd är ett förebyggande förhållningssätt.« (party programme ↗)“A prerequisite for sustainable welfare is a preventive approach.”
• vägen ur brottslighet»Kriminalpolitiken ska därför både förebygga och avskräcka från brott, stödja brottsdrabbade och stimulera dem som har begått olagliga handlingar till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy shall therefore both prevent and deter from crime, support crime victims and encourage those who have committed illegal actions to a new life situation without crime.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly establishes that Swedish drug policy shall be investigated in its entirety, with reference to Sweden's high drug-related mortality, and that policy shall be based on a harm-reduction principle. The counter-proposal's demand for a fundamental review with focus on harm reduction is thus precisely the plan's line, as is the demand for scientifically-based measures. The plan's zero tolerance towards drugs in the handling chain does not stand in the way of this.

• comprehensive review of drug policydecisive»den svenska narkotikapolitiken utreds i sin helhet.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish drug policy is investigated in its entirety.”
• the harm-reduction principle»Politiken ska utgå från en skadelindringsprincip.« (party programme ↗)“Policy shall be based on a harm-reduction principle.”
• scientifically-based dependency care»Missbruks- och beroendevården ska vara vetenskapligt grundad.« (party programme ↗)“Addiction and dependency care shall be scientifically-based.”
• zero tolerance towards drugs»Nolltolerans ska råda mot narkotika i alla led av hanteringen.« (party programme ↗)“Zero tolerance shall prevail against drugs in all steps of handling.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan explicitly states that the goal for drug policy should be a drug-free society and that all non-medical possession and use of drugs should be prohibited. Substance abuse treatment should aim at breaking addiction and providing a drug-free lifestyle, and drug-free environments should be promoted. A fundamental reorientation of drug policy toward harm reduction therefore conflicts with the plan.

• drug-free society as goaldecisive»Målet med narkotikapolitiken ska vara ett narkotika« (party programme ↗)“The goal of drug policy should be a drugs”
• prohibition on non-medical use»fritt samhälle. Allt ickemedicinskt innehav och bruk av« (party programme ↗)“free society. All non-medical possession and use of”
• treatment should break addiction»Missbrukarvård ska inriktas på att bryta beroendet och ge förutsättningar för en« (party programme ↗)“Substance abuse treatment should aim at breaking addiction and provide conditions for a”
• drug-free environments»drogfria miljöer ska främjas.« (party programme ↗)“drug-free environments should be promoted.”

The plan's drug policy is repressive in its core: the specialised drug police shall be restored and customs strengthened with powerful powers against smuggling. The counter-proposal instead wants to shift policy with harm reduction as the guiding focus, which shifts the weight away from that line. That the plan at the same time wants to strengthen addiction care is not enough to carry a shift with harm reduction as the starting point.

• police drug enforcementdecisive»Återinföra de specialiserade narkotikapoliserna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore the specialised drug police”
• stop smuggling»Stärka tullen med mer resurser och kraftfulla befogenheter för att stoppa stöldligor och vapensmugglare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen customs with more resources and powerful powers to stop theft gangs and weapons smugglers”
• strengthened addiction care»Det handlar om över 50 reformer för att stärka socialtjänst, skola och missbruksvård.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is about over 50 reforms to strengthen social services, school and addiction care.”

The election manifesto wants to shift criminal policy to zero tolerance and incapacitation and introduce zero tolerance to crime so that even less serious crimes are investigated and prosecuted. A fundamental shift in drug policy with a focus on harm reduction goes in the opposite direction to this line. The plan also wants to break the attractiveness of a criminal lifestyle, not soften society's markers against drugs.

• zero tolerance and incapacitationdecisive»Sveriges kriminalpolitik behöver helt läggas om för att bygga på nolltolerans och inkapacitering.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's criminal policy needs to be fundamentally reorganized to be based on zero tolerance and incapacitation.”
• zero tolerance to crime»Införa nolltolerans mot brott så att även mindre allvarliga brott utreds och lagförs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce zero tolerance to crime so that even less serious crimes are investigated and prosecuted”
• all crimes should be investigated»Utgångspunkten bör vara att alla brott, även sådana som inte skapar rubriker, ska utredas och att polisen ska finnas nära i hela Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The starting point should be that all crimes, even those that do not make headlines, should be investigated and that police should be present near in all of Sweden.”
• make criminal lifestyle unattractive»Bryta attraktiveten av en kriminell livsstil« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Break the attractiveness of a criminal lifestyle”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.