Drugs – A Definition `A substance people take to change the way
... Guidance on the Suspension of Students from School
Drugs – A Definition
‘A substance people take to change the way they feel, think or behave.’
(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
This includes:
All illegal drugs (those controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act - 2009 revision) e.g. cannabis,
her ...
Drug policy of Sweden
The drug policy of Sweden is based on zero tolerance focusing on prevention, treatment, and control, aiming to reduce both the supply of and demand for illegal drugs. While using illegal substances is a crime, personal usage does not result in jail time if it is not in combination with driving a car. Penalties are divided into three degrees: 1) Lesser narcotics crimes come with penalties ranging from fines to a maximum six months in jail, 2) Narcotics crime that result in penalties ranging from fines to maximum of three years in jail, and 3) Severe narcotics crime with penalties ranging from not less than two years in jail up to a maximum of ten years in jail. There is also related legislation for mandatory health care that can possibly be used in conjunction with a sentence for a drug-related offense. The general drug policy is supported by all major political parties with the exception of Vänsterpartiet (the former communist, left-wing party).A study conducted in 2000 supports the view that the new, tougher policy has had a preventive effect on drug use. A report by the UNODC praised Sweden for having one of the lowest drug usage rates in the western world, and attributes this to a drug policy that invests heavily in prevention and treatment (including free community services), as well as in strict law enforcement. However, the methodology of the UNODC report have been criticized for being unscientific and fundamentally biased in favor of repressive drug laws, since Sweden was the fourth largest donor to the UNODC in 2007.According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), in 2005, the rate of drug-related deaths per capita in Sweden was more than twice that of the Netherlands and there were more persons addicted to severe narcotics (""heavy drugs"") than in other countries. White House Drug Policy Director Kerlikowske in 2011 cited Sweden's Drug Control Policies as Model for U.S; prevalence rates for cocaine use in Sweden are barely one-fifth of European neighbors such as the United Kingdom and Spain.