Published 24 February 2023 at 17.23
Domestic. In 2021, the number of deaths in Sweden caused by drug poisoning decreased for the fourth year in a row, according to a new report from the Public Health Agency.
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In years In 2021, there were a total of 450 drug-related deaths, which is 74 fewer than in 2020. The majority of deaths were men.
As drug-related, cases where the cause of death is poisoning due to the use of illegal drugs or drugs classified as narcotics are counted as drug-related.
The decline over the last four years could have several possible causes.
– Several factors have likely contributed to the reduction in drug-related deaths. For example, naloxone, which is used to reverse overdoses, has become more available, and access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction has increased. There are two important measures to prevent drug-related deaths, says investigator Mimmi Eriksson Tinghög in a press release.
The new report provides a summary picture of drug use in Sweden and the municipalities' preventive work. The results show, among other things, that cannabis was the most common type of drug in 2022. 3.2 percent of the population aged 16–64 stated in the public health survey Health on equal terms that they had used cannabis in the past 12 months. The most common use is among men aged 16–34.
The long trend of increasing drug crimes was broken between the years 2020 and 2021. Then the reported drug crimes decreased by 5 percent. The majority concerned personal use and possession.
During 2021, 11 substances were regulated in Sweden. The substances belonged, among other things, to the groups cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids and opioids. Because opioids are linked to many deaths, this substance group has continued to be prioritized in the Public Health Agency's classification work.
The number of individuals who have received drug-related care in specialized outpatient care has increased in the last 10 years. There has also been an increase in people who have received drug-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.