Sweden: Turning point in drug use among young people

18.09.2025 - During the 2000s, drug use increased in Sweden. However, there are signs of a turning point, with consumption having decreased somewhat in recent years, especially among younger people. This is shown in a new report from CAN (The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs).

The report provides an overall assessment of drug trends in Sweden and is based on several statistical sources as well as survey data.

“Drug availability has increased during the 2000s in the form of lower prices, an inflow of new synthetic substances, and expanded contact opportunities between buyers and sellers with the rise of digitalization,” says Ulf Guttormsson, Head of Department at CAN and author of the report.

Drug use has also risen during the 2000s, but not nearly to the same extent as supply, and not at the same rate as indicated by seizure and crime statistics.

“Although problematic use may be higher today compared with the years around the turn of the millennium, health and mortality statistics suggest that there has been no further deterioration since 2015. On the contrary, the situation has somewhat improved since then,” says Ulf Guttormsson.

It is primarily among younger people that drug use appears to have declined. The proportion of those under 30 years has decreased in health and mortality statistics, as well as in crime statistics.

“Another indication that drug use among young people has declined is that the number of people treated for the first time in life with a drug diagnosis has fallen over the past five years.”

Survey data also show that drug use has decreased among those under 30, as well as among school students.

“It is interesting to note that school students in Europe and the United States have also reported declining drug experiences in recent years,” the author adds.

Read the report here.