DRUG DEATHS QUADRUPLE

The number of deaths resulting from drug abuse have more than
quadrupled in Sweden during the last nine years according to
statistics from the countries six forensic medicine stations.

- -This is alarming and probably reflects a big increase of both heroin
and mixed drug abuse, especially amongst younger persons, says
associate professor Peter Kranz of the Forensic Medicine Institution
in Lund to the newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning.

99 persons died in 1995 in connection with drug abuse. For the last
two years the figures have been 425 and 413 respectivly.

According to Krantz these deaths are due to poisoning, overdoses and
cases where abuse has caused damage to internal organs leading to death.

Gothenburg Spared for a Time

Narcotics related deaths have risen mostly outside of the Stockholm
area and Skone. One of the reasons for this, according to Kranz, is
that the use of heroin is escalating in Gothenburg, a town that was
largely spared from the heroin problem until the middle of the 1990's.

In 1995 there was only one narcotics related death registered in
Gothenburg. 53 were registered in 2003.

Drugs Co-Ordinator Worried

The governments drug co-ordinator Bjorn Fries is worried about the
statistics:

- -The developments show that efforts must be redoubled on a broad
front. The number of heavy drug abusers has increased and we must
improve care for these people, he says to TT (the Swedish television
news service)

The number of heavy drug abusers is steadily increasing. At the end of
the 1990's they were estimated to be 26,000 and Bjorn Fries believes
that today they are upwards of 30,000.

"Drug Addicts Refused Care"

What is causing the increasing mortality? According to Peter Krantz it
is a reflection of increased drug abuse. Per Sternbeck of the National
Organisation for Helping Drug Addicts (RFHL) agrees that drug abuse
has increased, but he also has other ideas.

- -The reason is because addicts are refused care which is based on real
needs, but instead on abstract ideas, he says to Swedish Television
Text.

In the RFHL we ask the question: Do you need to die just because you
use drugs?

Treatment Centres Stand Empty

Per Sternbeck explains that many treatment centres around the country
are standing empty because local authorities will not pay for care
while at the same time drug abuse is increasing.

- - I don't think the reason is ill will on the part of local
authorities, but when they draw up their budgets caring for drug
addicts is a long way down on their list.

Smoking Heroin Becoming More Common

In Sweden amfetamin has long been the dominant drug amongst addicts.
One of the reasons why heroin has increased so much in later years, he
believes, is because the use of smoking heroin has spread. Smoking
heroin is not regarded as being as dramatic as injecting - but it is
only a short step to injecting.

Smoking heroin is especially common amongst immigrant goups like
Iranians, says Per Sternbeck.

Today many are starting to smoke heroin in their older years.

Spreading to Many Areas

Medium sized towns today have their own local heroin markets, which
was not the case once, when the drug was concentrated around Stockholm
and Malmo. In the case of Gothenburg it is partially because the town
lies on the road to Oslo, which has a dramatically rising heroin problem.

Another reason, believes Per Sternbeck, is the general reduction in
social services.

- - There is a strong relation between unemployment levels and drug
addiction.

Swedish Television News 11.02.04

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

FYRDUBBELT FLER DOR PGA NARKOTIKA

Antalet dodsfall till foljd av narkotikamissbruk har
mer an fyrfaldigats i Sverige under de senaste nio aren, enligt
statistik fran landets sex rattslakarstationer.

- -Det ar alarmerande och aterspeglar sannolikt en kraftig okning av
bade heroin-och blandmissbruk, sarskilt bland yngre, sager docent
Peter Krantz vid Rattsmedicinalverket i Lund, till Upsala Nya Tidning.

1995 dog 99 personer i dodsfall som kan kopplas till
narkotikamissbruk. De senaste tva aren har motsvarande siffror varit
425 respektive 413.

Enligt Krantz ror det sig bade om rena forgiftningsfall, overdoser,
och fall dar missbruket orsakat skador pa inre organ som lett till
doden.

Goteborg lange forskonat De narkotikarelaterade dodsfallen har okat
mest utanfor Stockholmsomradet och Skane. En av orsakerna kan enligt
Krantz vara att bruket av heroin tagit fart i Goteborg, en stad som
varit i stort sett forskonad fran heroinproblem fram till mitten av
90-talet.

1995 registrerades endast ett dodsfall i Goteborg som
narkotikarelaterat. 2003 registrerades 53 stycken.

Narkotikasamordnaren oroad Regeringens narkotikasamordnare Bjorn Fries
ar oroad over siffrorna: -Utvecklingen visar att insatserna maste
forstarkas pa bred front. Gruppen av tunga missbrukare har okat och vi
maste bli battre pa att ge de har manniskorna vard, sager han till
TT.

Antalet tunga missbrukare okar stadigt. I slutet av 1990-talet
uppskattades de till 26.000 och Bjorn Fries tror att det i dag finns
bortat 30.000.

"Narkomaner forvagras vard" Vad beror da den okande dodligheten pa?
Enligt Peter Krantz aterspeglar den en okning av missbruket. Per
Sternbeck pa Riksforbundet for hjalp at narkotika-och
lakemedelsberoende haller med om att missbruket okat, men har aven
andra teorier.

- -Anledningen ar att narkomaner forvagras vard som utgar fran verkliga
behov och inte fran en abstrakt norm, sager han till SVT Text. Pa RFHL
staller vi oss fragan: Maste man do bara for att man anvander narkotika?

Behandlingshem star tomma Per Sternbeck berattar att manga
behandlingshem star tomma runtom i landet for att kommunerna inte vill
betala for varden, samtidigt som missbruket okar.

- -Jag tror inte att det handlar om nagon illvilja fran kommunerna, men
nar de ska gora sina budgetar kommer narkomanvarden langt ner.

Rokheroin vanligare I Sverige var lange amfetamin den dominerande
drogen bland narkomaner. En av orsakerna till att heroin okat sa
mycket pa senare ar tror han ar att rokheroinet brett ut sig. Att roka
heroin ses inte som lika dramatiskt som att injicera - men steget till
sprutor ar mycket kort.

Rokheroinet ar sarskilt vanligt inom vissa invandrargrupper, som
iranier, sager Per Sternbeck.

- -I dag debuterar manga pa rokheroin i ganska hog alder.

Sprids till fler orter Mellanstora orter i Sverige har i dag sina egna
lokala heroinmarknader, vilket inte var fallet forr i tiden, da drogen
var koncentrerad till Stockholm och Malmo. I Goteborgs fall handlar
det delvis om att staden ligger pa vagen till Oslo, som sett ett
kraftigt okande heroinproblem.

En annan orsak tror Per Sternbeck ar den allmanna sociala
nedrustningen. -Det finns ett starkt samband mellan
arbetsloshetssiffror och narkotikaberoende.