Amerikanska utrikesdepartementet om Sverige och kampen mot narkotika
Det amerikanska utrikesdepartementet har nu offentliggjort ’The 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)’ , som är en årlig rapport från utrikesdepartementet till kongressen i enlighet med reglerna i the Foreign Assistance Act.
Den mycket omfattande rapporten beskriver olika länders åtgärder under 2005 för att bekämpa.
Rapporten är uppdelad i två volymer där den första beskriver kontroll av droger och kemikalier och den andra penningtvätt och ekonomisk brottslighet.
I volym 1 beskrivs olika länders insatser. Beträffande Sverige sägs följande:
Sweden
I. Summary
Sweden is not a significant illicit drugs producing, trafficking or transit country. The fight against illegal drugs figures among the Government’s top priorities and enjoys strong public support. Amphetamine and cannabis remained the most popular illegal drugs. The Government of Sweden (GOS) increased efforts concerning treatment of drug addicts. Sweden actively participates in numerous international counternarcotics fora. Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.
II. Status of Country
Relative to other European countries, Sweden (both government and society) is highly intolerant of illegal drugs. Sweden places strong focus on prevention and education. Among adults, the number of drug users is twice as high among men as women. Sweden has approximately 28,000 seriously dependent drug addicts (i.e. addicts with regular intravenous use and/or daily need for narcotics) which represents an increase of 7 percent from last year; women represent 25 percent of this total. The rate of drug-related deaths has increased significantly the last few years. There were approximately 390 narcotics-related deaths during the year, which represents an 8 percent increase from last year. NGO reports indicate that the overall number of young people who use drugs remained the same during the last five years. Trends observed in 2005 include continued use among young drug users of high-profile drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine. Among sixteen-year-old students, 4 percent said they had used narcotics recently. There were no differences between the percentages of male and female students using drugs. Approximately 60 percent of students who used drugs claimed they used cannabis when trying narcotics for the first time. Amphetamines and ecstasy were the second and third most common drugs.
Reports of teenagers buying drugs on the Internet have led police to increase efforts to develop methods, such as infiltration and sting operations, to stop the trade. Swedish Police have also increased Internet monitoring for drug transactions. Prime Minister Goran Persson has declared the fight against narcotics to be one of his government’s top priorities. Sweden has allotted approximately $42 million to a National Action Plan on Narcotic Drugs, which began in January 2002 and ran through the end of 2005. Restricting supply to young people figures prominently in the plan. Continued cooperation with countries in the Baltic region, where significant trafficking routes exist, constitutes an ongoing and important element in Sweden’s counternarcotics efforts.
There were no reports concerning the liquid steroids originating from China that were mentioned in the 2005 INCSR. Also, problems that arose in 2004 with the synthetic drug fentanyl did not reoccur.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005
Policy Initiatives. The Government’s "Mobilization Against Drugs" taskforce continued to implement the National Action Plan on Narcotic Drugs established in January 2002. Its work during 2005 involved information campaigns and seminars throughout the country designed to raise awareness, in addition to the establishment and/or maintenance of networks with national and international NGOs. The task force’s final report was scheduled to be delivered to the Government at the end of 2005 or at the beginning of 2006. Police in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries have started a joint initiative to combat west-African criminal networks smuggling heroin, cocaine and marijuana into the Nordic countries. In Sweden, these networks dominate the increased heroin-trade.
At the end of 2004 the GOS announced that it would be making an investment of $80 million for a three year nationwide fight against drugs. Approximately $12 million will be directed towards the treatment of drugs abusers in prisons; the rest will be distributed among municipalities, which bear responsibility to act at the local level. This initiative directs $10 million to addicts recovering from drug abuse and to the improvement of treatment facilities. In March 2005, the GOS gave $1 million to the National Board of Health and Welfare to strengthen voluntary organizations that work with drugs and narcotics, and $1 million to drugs prevention projects operated by NGO’s and County Administrative Boards throughout the country. Fighting drugs remains a high priority area for Sweden’s efforts in official development assistance. The Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) allocated about $1.5 million for 2005 for multilateral and bilateral UN "best practices" projects against drugs and tobacco.
Sweden played a strong part in the development of an EU strategy plan for narcotics 2005-2012 that was approved during the autumn. Also, a frame decision was taken by the European Council concerning common criminal regulations on penalties for handling narcotics. Another action within the EU concerns an initiative on a resolution for cannabis. The resolution aims to increase awareness about cannabis and reduce the use of the drug among young people. Sweden is also one of the major contributors to the UNDCP.
Law Enforcement Efforts. Police reported 37,471 narcotics-related crimes for the January-September 2005 period. This represents a slight decrease (5 percent) compared to the corresponding period in 2004. Approximately 30 percent of the arrests under the Narcotics Act led to convictions, which on average carried six-month jail sentences. The majority of the crimes involved consumption and possession. No major drug processing labs were detected during the year.
Corruption. As a matter of government policy, Sweden does not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.
Swedish law criminalizes all forms of public corruption and stipulates maximum penalties of six years imprisonment for gross misconduct or taking bribes. The Narcotics Act contains severe penalties for the use or production of illegal narcotic substances.
Agreements and Treaties. Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and is meeting the Convention’s goals and objectives. Sweden is a party to the 1961 Single Convention, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Sweden is a party to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol against trafficking in persons, and has signed, but has not ratified, the UN Convention Against Corruption. An extradition treaty is in force between the U.S. and Sweden.
In October 2005, the GOS approved cooperation agreements between the Swedish National Police Board and Russian Narcotics Control Authorities. The agreement provides for increased bi-lateral cooperation in fighting narcotics in the region, such as facilitation of information sharing and bilateral efforts in police enforcement actions.
Cultivation/Production. No major cultivation or production operations were detected during the year. Some legal cultivation of cannabis for use in fibers occurs in Sweden, as permitted under EU regulations on the cultivation of flax and hemp for fiber.
Drug Flow/Transit. Drugs mainly enter the country concealed in commercial goods, by air, by ferry, and by truck over the Oresund Bridge linking Sweden to Denmark. Statistics show that 70 percent of all seizures are made in the southern region. Despite increased smuggling through the Baltic countries and Poland, 75 percent of illicit drugs are smuggled through other EU countries. Most of the seized amphetamines originate in Poland, the Netherlands, and Baltic countries. Seized ecstasy comes mainly from the Netherlands; cannabis from Morocco and southern Europe; and khat from Eastern Africa via Amsterdam and London. Cocaine often comes through Spain and the Baltic region.
The route for heroin is more difficult to establish but, according to police information, a west-African network has established a route for smuggling into Sweden. The Stockholm Police have characterized as alarming the heroin inflow, and note that despite 30 arrests during the year heroin continues to enter the country in significant amounts via this network. Sweden and other countries in Scandinavia have cooperated in customs and law enforcement activities, as well as other activities, to combating this influx.
Domestic Programs and Demand Reduction. The National Institute of Public Health, and municipal governments, are responsible for providing compulsory drug education in schools. Several NGO’s are devoted to drug abuse prevention and public information programs.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
Bilateral Cooperation. Since 2004 Sweden has participated in the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a U.S. Government-sponsored program designed to safeguard global maritime trade. Through identification and examination of high-risk and/or suspect containers, CSI enhances security for the global trading system, deterring terrorism and hindering illicit traffic of all kinds. Two U.S. Customs Officials are currently based in Gothenburg in support of this program. There were no cases of extradition between Sweden and the U.S. concerning drug crimes during 2005. Sweden has a bilateral customs agreement with the United States.
The Road Ahead. Swedish cooperation with United States Government law enforcement authorities continues to be excellent. The United States will pursue enhanced cooperation with Sweden and through the EU.
Tillsammans med INCB:s årsrapport utgör rapporten från det amerikanska utrikesdepartmentet de två mest överskådliga sammanfattningarna över det globala narkotikaläget, trender och tendenser.
Volym 1 av den amerikanska rapporten hittar du på adressen
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2006/vol1/ , där jag speciellt rekommenderar läsning av de olika landsöversikterna.
Volym 2 finns på adressen http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2006/vol2/ , där avsnittet om ’Major money laundering countries’ kan vara av stort intresse.
Torgny Peterson
Den mycket omfattande rapporten beskriver olika länders åtgärder under 2005 för att bekämpa.
Rapporten är uppdelad i två volymer där den första beskriver kontroll av droger och kemikalier och den andra penningtvätt och ekonomisk brottslighet.
I volym 1 beskrivs olika länders insatser. Beträffande Sverige sägs följande:
Sweden
I. Summary
Sweden is not a significant illicit drugs producing, trafficking or transit country. The fight against illegal drugs figures among the Government’s top priorities and enjoys strong public support. Amphetamine and cannabis remained the most popular illegal drugs. The Government of Sweden (GOS) increased efforts concerning treatment of drug addicts. Sweden actively participates in numerous international counternarcotics fora. Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.
II. Status of Country
Relative to other European countries, Sweden (both government and society) is highly intolerant of illegal drugs. Sweden places strong focus on prevention and education. Among adults, the number of drug users is twice as high among men as women. Sweden has approximately 28,000 seriously dependent drug addicts (i.e. addicts with regular intravenous use and/or daily need for narcotics) which represents an increase of 7 percent from last year; women represent 25 percent of this total. The rate of drug-related deaths has increased significantly the last few years. There were approximately 390 narcotics-related deaths during the year, which represents an 8 percent increase from last year. NGO reports indicate that the overall number of young people who use drugs remained the same during the last five years. Trends observed in 2005 include continued use among young drug users of high-profile drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine. Among sixteen-year-old students, 4 percent said they had used narcotics recently. There were no differences between the percentages of male and female students using drugs. Approximately 60 percent of students who used drugs claimed they used cannabis when trying narcotics for the first time. Amphetamines and ecstasy were the second and third most common drugs.
Reports of teenagers buying drugs on the Internet have led police to increase efforts to develop methods, such as infiltration and sting operations, to stop the trade. Swedish Police have also increased Internet monitoring for drug transactions. Prime Minister Goran Persson has declared the fight against narcotics to be one of his government’s top priorities. Sweden has allotted approximately $42 million to a National Action Plan on Narcotic Drugs, which began in January 2002 and ran through the end of 2005. Restricting supply to young people figures prominently in the plan. Continued cooperation with countries in the Baltic region, where significant trafficking routes exist, constitutes an ongoing and important element in Sweden’s counternarcotics efforts.
There were no reports concerning the liquid steroids originating from China that were mentioned in the 2005 INCSR. Also, problems that arose in 2004 with the synthetic drug fentanyl did not reoccur.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005
Policy Initiatives. The Government’s "Mobilization Against Drugs" taskforce continued to implement the National Action Plan on Narcotic Drugs established in January 2002. Its work during 2005 involved information campaigns and seminars throughout the country designed to raise awareness, in addition to the establishment and/or maintenance of networks with national and international NGOs. The task force’s final report was scheduled to be delivered to the Government at the end of 2005 or at the beginning of 2006. Police in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries have started a joint initiative to combat west-African criminal networks smuggling heroin, cocaine and marijuana into the Nordic countries. In Sweden, these networks dominate the increased heroin-trade.
At the end of 2004 the GOS announced that it would be making an investment of $80 million for a three year nationwide fight against drugs. Approximately $12 million will be directed towards the treatment of drugs abusers in prisons; the rest will be distributed among municipalities, which bear responsibility to act at the local level. This initiative directs $10 million to addicts recovering from drug abuse and to the improvement of treatment facilities. In March 2005, the GOS gave $1 million to the National Board of Health and Welfare to strengthen voluntary organizations that work with drugs and narcotics, and $1 million to drugs prevention projects operated by NGO’s and County Administrative Boards throughout the country. Fighting drugs remains a high priority area for Sweden’s efforts in official development assistance. The Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) allocated about $1.5 million for 2005 for multilateral and bilateral UN "best practices" projects against drugs and tobacco.
Sweden played a strong part in the development of an EU strategy plan for narcotics 2005-2012 that was approved during the autumn. Also, a frame decision was taken by the European Council concerning common criminal regulations on penalties for handling narcotics. Another action within the EU concerns an initiative on a resolution for cannabis. The resolution aims to increase awareness about cannabis and reduce the use of the drug among young people. Sweden is also one of the major contributors to the UNDCP.
Law Enforcement Efforts. Police reported 37,471 narcotics-related crimes for the January-September 2005 period. This represents a slight decrease (5 percent) compared to the corresponding period in 2004. Approximately 30 percent of the arrests under the Narcotics Act led to convictions, which on average carried six-month jail sentences. The majority of the crimes involved consumption and possession. No major drug processing labs were detected during the year.
Corruption. As a matter of government policy, Sweden does not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.
Swedish law criminalizes all forms of public corruption and stipulates maximum penalties of six years imprisonment for gross misconduct or taking bribes. The Narcotics Act contains severe penalties for the use or production of illegal narcotic substances.
Agreements and Treaties. Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and is meeting the Convention’s goals and objectives. Sweden is a party to the 1961 Single Convention, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Sweden is a party to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol against trafficking in persons, and has signed, but has not ratified, the UN Convention Against Corruption. An extradition treaty is in force between the U.S. and Sweden.
In October 2005, the GOS approved cooperation agreements between the Swedish National Police Board and Russian Narcotics Control Authorities. The agreement provides for increased bi-lateral cooperation in fighting narcotics in the region, such as facilitation of information sharing and bilateral efforts in police enforcement actions.
Cultivation/Production. No major cultivation or production operations were detected during the year. Some legal cultivation of cannabis for use in fibers occurs in Sweden, as permitted under EU regulations on the cultivation of flax and hemp for fiber.
Drug Flow/Transit. Drugs mainly enter the country concealed in commercial goods, by air, by ferry, and by truck over the Oresund Bridge linking Sweden to Denmark. Statistics show that 70 percent of all seizures are made in the southern region. Despite increased smuggling through the Baltic countries and Poland, 75 percent of illicit drugs are smuggled through other EU countries. Most of the seized amphetamines originate in Poland, the Netherlands, and Baltic countries. Seized ecstasy comes mainly from the Netherlands; cannabis from Morocco and southern Europe; and khat from Eastern Africa via Amsterdam and London. Cocaine often comes through Spain and the Baltic region.
The route for heroin is more difficult to establish but, according to police information, a west-African network has established a route for smuggling into Sweden. The Stockholm Police have characterized as alarming the heroin inflow, and note that despite 30 arrests during the year heroin continues to enter the country in significant amounts via this network. Sweden and other countries in Scandinavia have cooperated in customs and law enforcement activities, as well as other activities, to combating this influx.
Domestic Programs and Demand Reduction. The National Institute of Public Health, and municipal governments, are responsible for providing compulsory drug education in schools. Several NGO’s are devoted to drug abuse prevention and public information programs.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
Bilateral Cooperation. Since 2004 Sweden has participated in the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a U.S. Government-sponsored program designed to safeguard global maritime trade. Through identification and examination of high-risk and/or suspect containers, CSI enhances security for the global trading system, deterring terrorism and hindering illicit traffic of all kinds. Two U.S. Customs Officials are currently based in Gothenburg in support of this program. There were no cases of extradition between Sweden and the U.S. concerning drug crimes during 2005. Sweden has a bilateral customs agreement with the United States.
The Road Ahead. Swedish cooperation with United States Government law enforcement authorities continues to be excellent. The United States will pursue enhanced cooperation with Sweden and through the EU.
Tillsammans med INCB:s årsrapport utgör rapporten från det amerikanska utrikesdepartmentet de två mest överskådliga sammanfattningarna över det globala narkotikaläget, trender och tendenser.
Volym 1 av den amerikanska rapporten hittar du på adressen
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2006/vol1/ , där jag speciellt rekommenderar läsning av de olika landsöversikterna.
Volym 2 finns på adressen http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2006/vol2/ , där avsnittet om ’Major money laundering countries’ kan vara av stort intresse.
Torgny Peterson
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