A path forward for Swedish drug policy?
for debate
by Corresponding author(s):
Ted Goldberg, University of Gävle Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Jungfrudansen 32, 171 56 Solna, Sweden. Email: ted.goldberg@outlook.com
((a High School classmate of mine))
'TRY A SWEDISH MODEL WITH REGULATED CANNABIS
by : Ted Goldberg
Nowadays, serious violence, shootings and explosions are a recurring feature in Sweden. Already in August, we had as many shootings as in all of 2021, and more are added regularly. Fear and insecurity are spreading. What is behind the violence?
An important sub-explanation was given by the President of the Court Anders Perklev when he talked about the results of the Gang Crime Investigation, where he was a special investigator. He noted that the gang's drug sales drive other crimes, including violence. Abroad, these are called "turf wars" (revire wars); criminal gangs fight each other to conquer control of illegal activities (usually drugs) within a certain geographical area. This entails damage to control; unintended negative side effects. In addition, "innocent bystanders" are created; innocent victims who suffer injury when they accidentally are at the scene where a river battle led to open violence. Children, adults, elderly; all are potential innocent victims.
The fact that criminal gangs can make money from drug trafficking is partly due to demand for drugs, which we have failed to suppress despite half a century of efforts; partly because there is no legal access. In short: to a large extent, the economic base for Sweden's criminal gang is growing out of Swedish drug policy. Thus, our drug policy has a large part in the violence. Reasonably, we should aim to remove this source of income from the gang. So far we have tried to do this through an ever-increasing use of various coercive drugs; police, jail time, and more, but organized crime is only growing. This is why innovation is needed.
All drug policy entails control damages, but there is an unwillingness in Sweden to do deeper analysis of the disadvantages our drug policy entails. For example, the UN points out that social damage increases if you let organized crime continue to make money on illegal drugs: violence increases, legitimate businesses and organizations infiltrate, politicians and officials cow bummed, young people are dragged into crime, and more. Ignoring the importance of drug policy to the growth of organized crime is the elephant in the drug policy room, and the longer we turn a blind eye, the worse it gets. . .
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/1455072520978352?