POLLUTION RITUALS IN SWEDEN - THE PURSUIT OF A DRUG-FREE SOCIETY

Sweden's policy on psychoactive drugs has the objective of creating a society free of drug misuse in which drug misuse remains socially unac ceptable and marginalized conduct. A drug-free society is a vision tha t expresses an optimistic and positive view of people. The spread of d rugs can be stopped and drug misusers can be rehabilitated through soc ial measures that ensure that the drug problem is not reduced to a que stion of individual responsibility. Since it is difficult to rehabilit ate people once they have started misusing drugs, society's preventive efforts must begin as early as possible. During periods in which publ ic opinion is more rejective of drug misuse, recruitment of new misuse rs declines, which is a reasonable argument for maintaining a negative societal attitude towards the use of drugs. Sweden has a well functio ning drug policy with strong public support that is an integral part o f Sweden's general social policies, and there is no reason to abandon this policy.