SWEDEN MORE LONESOME IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

(Brussels, SvD) Sweden's more and more lonesome opposition has at least
stopped the EU from sliding towards a drugliberal stand. But several
countries in europe are easing up on their drug laws. In Belgium the
minister of justice commanded the police and attorneys to stop
punishing the posession, use and cultivation of cannabis. The main
idea is to concentrate policeforces to go after those involved with
hard drugs. At this time the authorities are considering if, Liege,
Belgiums third largest city, is going to be allowed to prescribe
heroin to heavy addicts. It is already done since several years in
the British city of Liverpool. As of last year, a campaign was launched
in Great Britain to make cannabis and marijuana legal. The newspaper
the Independent on Sunday has collected a lot of signatures, not the
least from famous personalities, and two awards for civil courage in
their campaign.

The Blair-government doesnt seem to have been influenced by the
campain on more than one point, medical use of the drugs. Doctor
Geoffrey Guy has recieved a permit to grow cannabis for medical
research. The last six months, several papers on the medical
properties of cannabis have been published in Great Britain. Doctor Guy
wants to elaborate American research which points at the drugs usages
for MS, and epilepsy. The British House of Lords scientific committee
proposes that the drugs should be legalized for medical use.

In France, a campaign to legalize soft drugs started this spring. Among
those signing the calling for a legalization: "I have smoked cannabis
also" are the minister of environment Dominique Voynet. The campaign
gathered large meetings all over the country.

This June, a scientific report from the French government concluded
that cannabis is the least harmful intoxicant. The report from the
state's institute in Inserm said that alcohol is far more harmful to
health than cannabis. The French government doesnt show any signs to
ease up on the drug laws yet, and when a campaign leader sent
hash cigarettes to the members of parliament, he got an expensive
penalty. The European debate on how to tackle the drug problem is
mostly held in the European Parliament. There one can see a sharp
front between Swedish parliamentarians of all political parties on one
side and drug liberals, mostly from the leftwing, on the other. The
debate is extremely important even though the EU cant make any
decisions over national drug policies, says Charlotte Cedershiold
(Swedish mp) whose engagement has thrown the whole conservative group
over against a drugliberal direction. If the idea takes hold that the public
supports drug liberalism, then this idea gets a self-fulfilling role,
Cedershiold says.

The Swedish resistance, she says, means a lot now that the
EU-commission works to come up with a new EU-drugpolicy. The
foundation for the policy was a debate in the commission whose written
conclusions weren't at all satisfying to the Swedish
drug debaters.

For example it was said that "the repressive approach... is in itself
not satisfying and far from adequate". -The Swedish group in the
parliament has, even though it is small, definitely made a difference
by coming forth as a well formed and united group, says Arthur Gould,
British drug policy researcher who has studied the Swedish drugpolicy.

Drug related deaths in the EU-countries:

Different countries determine in different ways in what way a death is
drugrelated. Complete figures can only be found from '95. The second
numbers are from '96, several countries doesnt have this information
though.

Belgium: 48 (-)
Denmark: 274 (266)
Finland: 19 (-)
France: 465 (393)
Greece: 176 (222)
Nederlands: 65 (-)
Ireland: 31 (40)
Italy: 1 195 (1 564)
Luxembourg: 20 (16)
Portugal: 145 (169)
Spain: 394 (429)
Great Britain: 1 778 (-)
Sweden: 194 (250)
Germany: 1 565
Austria: 160

source: EU:s office on drugs in Lisbon.

Checked-by: Don Beck