SWEDISH CRIME INCREASED DURING HEROIN PRESCRIPTION TRIAL

Drug prohibitionists are looking to Sweden to strengthen their case against
proposals for an Australian heroin prescription trial.

The National Centre for Drug and Alcohol Research has expressed cautious
support for a trial based on experiences in Switzerland.

The Swedish Government also experimented with the concept during the mid
1960s, but with different outcomes.

Swedish police Detective Superintendent Eva Brannmark, in Australia to
brief local politicians and interest groups, says the result was a radical
increase in heroin use.

She says the goal of lower of crime rates also proved an abject failure.

"The crimes did go up and if you think about it, it is not that strange
because very many of those starting using drugs they're criminals even
before they start using it," she said.

"Some of them have, during the period of time when they used the drugs,
they had adopted criminal behaviour."