Record Fourfold Increase In Drugs Deaths

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Subject: [press] Record fourfold increase in drugs deaths

Legalise Cannabis Alliance, News Bulletin:

15/04 Record fourfold increase in drugs deaths

This Early Day Motion will appear on the Commons Order Paper tomorrow

12/09/2004

Soaring Drugs Deaths in Sweden

This House notes the record fourfold increase in drugs deaths in Sweden

since 1995: believes that the report from the Swedish Forensic Medicine Institute

proves that the country has probably the highest per capita number of drugs

death in Europe: urges members to desist from favourable comments about

Swedens repressive anti-drugs measures that are demonstrating that harsh

prohibition of drugs perversely increases drugs use, crime and deaths.

Paul Flynn MP

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

Press Office

Legalise Cannabis Alliance

PO Box 198, Norwich,

NR3 3WB

http://www.lca-uk.org

-------------------

background -

FWD:

At 11:27 11/02/2004 , you wrote:

>The prohibitionists have been holding Sweden up as an example to be followed

>in drug policy and the Swedish repressive model was favourably mentioned

>again in Parliament yesterday.

>

>In Sweden no attempt is made to distinguish between hard and soft drugs and

>they are all painted out as equally dangerous. Sweden also has, for many

>years, had the highest per capita death rate amongst drug addicts than any

>other country in Europe.

>

>A report by the Swedish Forensic Medicine Institute that has just appeared

>on Swedish text TV this morning (11.02.04) shows that drug deaths in Sweden

>have escalated alarmingly and have hit an all time high.

>

>My translation of the report:

>

>***************************************************

>

>STV 11.02.04

>

>Narcotics deaths quadruple.

>

>The number of deaths attributable to narcotics abuse have more than

>quadrupled in Sweden, according to statistics from the countrys six forensic

>medical stations.

>

>- This is alarming and in all probablility reflects a massive increase in

>both heroin and mixed drug use, especially amongst young people - says

>associate professor Peter Krantz of the Forensic Medical Institute in Lund

>to the newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning.

>

>In 1995 99 people died in connection with narcotics abuse. For the last two

>years the fugures have been 425 and 413 respectivly.

>

>www.svt.se/texttv/index.html

>

>***************************************************

>

>These figures put Swedens per capita drug related death rate far above that

>of any other European country.

>

>It's a pity Paul Flynn did not have this information in Parliament

>yesterday. The prohibitionists are shooting themselves in the foot by

>holding Sweden up as an example to follow. As long as the truth can get out,

>that is.

>

>I'll follow up on this and post more as it becomes available.

>

>John Yates

>