2024-04-032023/24:SoU11 · p.6SoUHealth & social services
The harmful effects of alcohol
A national information effort on alcohol's health risks, including cancer risk
What's at stake: According to the reservation's proponents, public knowledge of alcohol's health effects - not least the increased risk of cancer - is relatively low. The decision therefore affects how much effort goes into spreading knowledge about alcohol's health risks to the public.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether parliament should direct the government to task an authority with producing a national information effort on the health risks of alcohol consumption, including increased cancer risk, and set up an inquiry into a long-term plan against alcohol-related harm, or whether Systembolaget's existing information and research mandate and the ongoing inquiry into alcohol policy instruments are sufficient.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motions. The reason is, among other things, that Systembolaget already has an information and research mandate linked to alcohol-related harm, and that a special investigator has been tasked with evaluating alcohol policy instruments in relation to the goal of reducing the medical and social harms of alcohol. Against that background, the committee does not see a need for parliament to take further action.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 7 (V, MP)
The reservation (V, MP) calls for the government to task an appropriate authority with producing a national information effort on the health effects of alcohol consumption, such as the increased risk of cancer, and to set up an inquiry tasked with developing a long-term plan of measures against alcohol-related harm. The reason is that public knowledge of alcohol's health effects, not least the cancer risk, is relatively low.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 7 by V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have held
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: KDKristdemokraterna
Ja 202–36Ja 187–51
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | match | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 91/0/0/15 | differs | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/14/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| C | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | match | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Abstain 0/1/62/9 | differs | confidence: low | not addressed |
Broke with the party line
| SDCarita Boulwén (SD, Hallands län) | No — party line: Abstain |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdagen rejects the motions 2023/24:465 by Karin Rågsjö et al. (V) demands 7 and 8 and 2023/24:2067 by Carina Ståhl Herrstedt et al. (SD) demand 3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2023/24:465 av Karin Rågsjö m.fl. (V) yrkandena 7 och 8 samt 2023/24:2067 av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD) yrkande 3.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdagen said no to approximately 100 proposals in motions regarding, among other things, alcohol, narcotics and tobacco from the general motion period 2023. The motions deal, among other things, with Swedish alcohol policy and the retail monopoly as well as narcotics policy. The Riksdagen refers, among other things, to ongoing work.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to strengthen municipalities' and regions' capacity for preventive work against substance abuse. (V, MP) — Reservation 7
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan sees alcohol and drug use as a social problem where the most vulnerable are hardest hit, and links class to life expectancy and health.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan sees alcohol and drug use as a social problem where the most vulnerable are hardest hit, and links class to life expectancy and health. A national information initiative on alcohol's health effects and a long-term plan against its harms is preventive public health work in that direction. The plan however does not express itself on alcohol policy's instruments in detail.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ser bruket av alkohol och droger som ett samhällsproblem där de mest utsatta drabbas hårdast, och kopplar klass till livslängd och hälsa. En nationell informationsinsats om alkoholens hälsoeffekter och en långsiktig plan mot skadeverkningarna är förebyggande folkhälsoarbete i den riktningen. Planen uttalar sig dock inte om alkoholpolitikens instrument i detalj.
- vulnerable hardest hitdecisive»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.”
- substance abuse as social problem»Därför måste kriminaliteten ses just som ett samhällsproblem, inte något som händer på vissa platser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore crime must be seen precisely as a social problem, not something that happens in certain places.”
- class determines health»Precis som att klass påverkar människor i en pandemi, påverkar klass vår livslängd och möjlighet till ett bra liv utanför en pandemi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Just as class affects people in a pandemic, class affects our life expectancy and opportunity for a good life outside a pandemic.”
The plan does not specifically address alcohol information, but states that children and young people have the right to grow up free from drugs and that democracy has priority over the market when societal goals are at stake.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not specifically address alcohol information, but states that children and young people have the right to grow up free from drugs and that democracy has priority over the market when societal goals are at stake. A national information initiative on alcohol's health effects and a long-term action plan follow from that stance. The requirement for equal conditions for young people points in the same direction.
Original (Swedish)
Planen tar inte upp alkoholinformation särskilt, men slår fast att barn och unga har rätt till en uppväxt fri från droger och att demokratin har företräde framför marknaden när samhälleliga mål står på spel. En nationell informationsinsats om alkoholens hälsoeffekter och en långsiktig åtgärdsplan följer av den hållningen. Kravet på likvärdiga villkor för unga pekar åt samma håll.
- upbringing free from drugsdecisive»trygg uppväxt fri från droger och våld« (party programme ↗)“safe upbringing free from drugs and violence”
- democracy over the market»Demokratin har därför företräde före marknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy therefore has priority over the market.”
- equal conditions for young people»Alla barn och ungdomar ska ha rätt till likvärdiga villkor« (party programme ↗)“All children and young people shall have the right to equal conditions”
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 confirms that alcohol causes society enormous costs and affected individuals great suffering, and wishes to see a national public health programme that supports municipalities' and regions' health-promoting work.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme confirms that alcohol causes society enormous costs and affected individuals great suffering, and wishes to see a national public health programme that supports municipalities' and regions' health-promoting work. Preventive work shall be prioritized and consumers shall be able to make informed choices. A national information initiative and a long-term plan against alcohol's harmful effects therefore align with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att alkohol orsakar samhället enorma kostnader och drabbade individer stort lidande, och vill se ett nationellt folkhälsoprogram som stödjer kommuners och regioners hälsofrämjande arbete. Förebyggande arbete ska premieras och konsumenter ska kunna göra upplysta val. En nationell informationsinsats och en långsiktig plan mot alkoholens skadeverkningar ligger därför i linje med planen.
- alcohol's harmful effectsdecisive»Alkohol och andra droger orsakar samhället enorma kostnader och drabbade individer stort lidande.« (party programme ↗)“Alcohol and other drugs cause society enormous costs and affected individuals great suffering.”
- national public health programme»Vi vill därför se ett nationellt folkhälsoprogram och stödja kommuner och landsting i deras hälsofrämjande arbete.« (party programme ↗)“We therefore wish to see a national public health programme and support municipalities and regions in their health-promoting work.”
- preventive work prioritized»Förebyggande arbete ska premieras.« (party programme ↗)“Preventive work shall be prioritized.”
- informed consumer choices»Konsumenter ska ha möjligheter att göra fria och upplysta val.« (party programme ↗)“Consumers shall have opportunities to make free and informed choices.”
The party programme makes preventive work a prerequisite for sustainable welfare and builds public health policy on the principle that individuals themselves should be able to take responsibility for their health.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme makes preventive work a prerequisite for sustainable welfare and builds public health policy on the principle that individuals themselves should be able to take responsibility for their health. This requires knowledge about alcohol's health effects, which is precisely what a national information initiative and a long-term action plan aims at. The plan also requires that health and medical policy is based on science and proven experience.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet gör förebyggande arbete till en förutsättning för hållbar välfärd och bygger folkhälsopolitiken på att individer själva ska kunna ta ansvar för sin hälsa. Det förutsätter kunskap om alkoholens hälsoeffekter, vilket är just vad en nationell informationsinsats och en långsiktig åtgärdsplan syftar till. Planen kräver dessutom att hälso- och vårdpolitiken vilar på vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet.
- preventive public health workdecisive»En förutsättning för en hållbar välfärd är ett förebyggande förhållningssätt.« (party programme ↗)“A prerequisite for sustainable welfare is a preventive approach.”
- knowledge gives personal responsibility»individer ska kunna ta ansvar för sitt välbefinnande, sin hälsa och livsstil« (party programme ↗)“individuals should be able to take responsibility for their well-being, their health and lifestyle”
- science-based health policy»God vård och omsorg i hela landet, baserad på vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet, är viktigt för den enskilda« (party programme ↗)“Good care and health services throughout the country, based on science and proven experience, is important for the individual”
- broad public health perspective»Folkhälsoperspektivet måste genomsyra hela samhället för att ge resultat.« (party programme ↗)“The public health perspective must permeate the whole of society to produce results.”
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 requires a restrictive alcohol policy where total consumption is kept down and where efforts are directed at high consumers and delayed alcohol debut.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires a restrictive alcohol policy where total consumption is kept down and where efforts are directed at high consumers and delayed alcohol debut. Public health work must moreover be based on knowledge, which directly supports a national information effort about alcohol's health effects. A long-term plan against alcohol's harmful effects thus aligns with the plan's goals.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver en restriktiv alkoholpolitik där den totala konsumtionen hålls nere och där insatser riktas mot högkonsumenter och senarelagd alkoholdebut. Folkhälsoarbetet ska dessutom vila på kunskap, vilket direkt stödjer en nationell informationsinsats om alkoholens hälsoeffekter. En långsiktig plan mot alkoholens skadeverkningar ligger därmed i linje med planens mål.
- restrictive alcohol policydecisive»Sverige ska ha en restriktiv alkoholpolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall have a restrictive alcohol policy.”
- low total consumption»den totala alkoholkonsumtionen hålls nere« (party programme ↗)“total alcohol consumption is kept down”
- knowledge-based public health»Folkhälsoarbetet och de förebyggande hälsoinsatserna ska vila på kunskap« (party programme ↗)“Public health work and preventive health efforts shall be based on knowledge”
- later alcohol debut»att ungdomar skjuter upp sin alkoholdebut« (party programme ↗)“that young people delay their alcohol debut”
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 identifies information as one of the general and specific measures to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol, with the aim of low total consumption.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme explicitly identifies information as one of the general and specific measures to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol, with the aim of low total consumption. The counter-proposal's requirements for a national information initiative on alcohol's health effects and a long-term action plan are thus precisely what the plan prescribes. The requirement is reinforced by the fact that health promotion work should be stimulated.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet pekar uttryckligen ut information som ett av de generella och särskilda åtgärder som ska minska alkoholens skadeverkningar, med målet låg totalkonsumtion. Motförslagets krav på en nationell informationsinsats om alkoholens hälsoeffekter och en långsiktig åtgärdsplan är därmed exakt det planen föreskriver. Kravet stärks av att hälsofrämjande arbete ska stimuleras.
- information as an alcohol policy tooldecisive»generella och särskilda åtgärder som information« (party programme ↗)“general and specific measures such as information”
- low total consumption»alkoholskador genom en låg totalkonsumtion.« (party programme ↗)“alcohol damage through low total consumption.”
- health promotion work»Hälsofrämjande arbete ska stimuleras.« (party programme ↗)“Health promotion work shall be stimulated.”
- restrictive alcohol policy»försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“sales monopoly and restrictive legislation”
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 documents do not address alcohol's harmful effects or state information initiatives.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The documents do not address alcohol's harmful effects or state information initiatives. The nearest principle is that policy must prioritize its core mission and choose against other things, and that no public initiative can replace one's own responsibility for one's own health. A new national information campaign and yet another inquiry are therefore not commitments that the plan carries.
Original (Swedish)
Dokumenten behandlar inte alkoholens skadeverkningar eller statliga informationsinsatser. Närmast liggande princip är att politiken måste prioritera sitt kärnuppdrag och välja bort annat, och att ingen offentlig insats kan ersätta det egna ansvaret för den egna hälsan. En ny nationell informationskampanj och ytterligare en utredning är därför inte åtaganden som planen bär upp.
- personal responsibility for healthdecisive»Men inte ens en sjukvård i världsklass kan ersätta det egna« (party programme ↗)“But not even world-class healthcare can replace one's own”
- politics must prioritize»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort,« (party programme ↗)“Politics has an important task to prioritize and reject,”
- reforms can wait»Vi vet vad som måste göras – och vad som får vänta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We know what must be done – and what can wait.”
- limited state engagement»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
The documents do not address alcohol policy, but the plan wants to consistently see increased focus and more resources for preventive public health work and works with national strategies in the health field.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The documents do not address alcohol policy, but the plan wants to consistently see increased focus and more resources for preventive public health work and works with national strategies in the health field. The party programme furthermore establishes that desired behaviour changes should primarily be achieved through knowledge and development rather than punishment of individuals, which is precisely what an information initiative entails. The counter-proposal's demands thereby align with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Dokumenten behandlar inte alkoholpolitiken, men planen vill genomgående se ökat fokus och mer resurser på förebyggande folkhälsoarbete och arbetar med nationella strategier på hälsoområdet. Partiprogrammet slår dessutom fast att önskade beteendeförändringar primärt bör nås genom kunskap och utveckling snarare än bestraffning av enskilda, vilket är precis vad en informationsinsats innebär. Motförslagets krav ligger därmed i linje med planen.
- prioritize preventive workdecisive»Se ökat fokus och mer resurser på förebyggande arbete samt rehabilitering« (2022 manifesto ↗)“See increased focus and more resources for preventive work and rehabilitation”
- knowledge before punishment»Målet om ett miljövänligare samhälle bör primärt uppnås genom teknisk utveckling, inte genom ett ensidigt fokus på bestraffningar av oönskade levnadssätt hos enskilda medborgare.« (party programme ↗)“The goal of a more environmentally friendly society should primarily be achieved through technical development, not through a one-sided focus on punishing undesired lifestyles of individual citizens.”
- national public health strategies»Ta fram en nationell strategi för det fortsatta arbetet med psykisk hälsa« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Develop a national strategy for continued work on mental health”
- state care for the vulnerable»Till statens kärnuppgifter räknar vi alla frågor som rör nationens säkerhet och oberoende, omhändertagandet av svaga och utsatta individer, lagarnas upprätthållande samt värnandet av nationens historiska arv och kulturella särart.« (party programme ↗)“We count among the state's core tasks all questions concerning the nation's security and independence, the care of weak and vulnerable individuals, the upholding of laws, and the protection of the nation's historical heritage and cultural identity.”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:SoU11)
- Committee report full text (HB01SoU11)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:1001 — Lex Winefinder av Kalle Olsson och Anna-Caren Sätherberg (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1037 — Tobaksfri generation 2040 av Anna Wallentheim och Sofia Skönnbrink (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1050 — Systematiska mätningar av narkotika av Roland Utbult (KD)
- Motion 2023/24:1107 — Avskaffande av Systembolagets monopol av Boriana Åberg (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1193 — Åtgärder för att minska rökning av Markus Wiechel (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1240 — Företag inom besöksnäringen av Martina Johansson (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1260 — Modernisering av alkohollagen och slopande av sambandet mellan alkoholtillstånd och mat av Anders Ådahl (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1272 — Slopat matkrav för alkoholservering av Carl Nordblom (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1277 — Slopat tillstånd för provsmakning av gårdsproducerade alkoholhaltiga drycker av Carl Nordblom (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1283 — Ett förbud mot lustgasanvändning och skärpta begränsningar av försäljningen av lustgas av Rose-Marie Carlsson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1291 — Kriminalisering av fler substanser av Hanna Westerén (S)
- Motion 2023/24:136 — Förbud mot tillverkning och försäljning av cigaretter i Sverige av Björn Tidland (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1438 — En utbildning, ett tillstånd - giltigt i hela landet av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1605 — Utvärdering av den svenska missbrukspolitiken av Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1608 — Införande av gårdsförsäljning av öl, vin och cider av Stina Larsson m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1609 — Försäljning av öl och vin i licensierade livsmedelsbutiker av Niels Paarup-Petersen m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1620 — Slopande av rökförbud på uteserveringar av Jonny Cato (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1626 — Sänkt ålder för inköp på Systembolaget av Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1633 — Sveriges 13 sämsta lagar av Rickard Nordin och Niels Paarup-Petersen (båda C)
- Motion 2023/24:1638 — Receptfria och mer tillgängliga naloxonläkemedel av Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
Source: The Swedish Parliament