The Nordic countries and public drug-injection facilities

Abstract

Instituting public injection facilities has prompted heated debate in Denmark since 1996 and in Norway since 1999. In Finland and Sweden establishing injection rooms remains a “non-issue”. The article seeks to explain how and why the Nordic countries have responded so differently.

In Norway a provisional Act relating to a trial scheme of premises for drug injection was approved by the Norwegian Parliament in December 2004 and the only public supervised drug injection facility to be set up in the Nordic region up to now was opened in Norway in February 2005. The Norwegian Parliament has stated the main objectives for the three year trial in Norway as to contribute to greater dignity for dependent drug users, to provide more possibilities of contact between drug abusers and social end health services, to prevent disease and infection and reduce the number of overdoses and overdose deaths. The scheme only permits the injection of heroin. In Denmark motions to pilot injection drug facilities have been put to the Danish Parliament on several occasions, without gaining the approval. The pros and cons in the Danish and the Norwegian debate on drug injection premises are to a great extent in the same line.