"The findings on drug use are based on reported use during the last 30 days. Nationwide, 10 per cent had used heroin during the past month, 32 per cent had used cannabis and 40 per cent had used benzodiazepine substances. Fifteen per cent had used stimulants, primarily amphetamine. The situation was also measured by calculating the overall score for frequency of drug use and the severity of ongoing use during the past month. Forty per cent had not used such substances at all, and eighteen per cent only sporadically. All the findings are practically unchanged compared with recent years (SERAF, 2012)."

"A total of 37,900 charges were brought for drug
crimes in 2010. That is 21 per cent of all charges for infringements of the law and 41 per cent of all criminal charges. In total, almost 17,200 persons were charged with one or more drug infringements, 48 per cent of all charges for crimes. The corresponding figure in the 21–29 age group was 60 per cent.
"A total of 12,200 persons charged had drug crime as their primary offence in 2010, almost 14 per cent fewer than in 2009 (Table 5). Persons charged with drug crime as their primary offence were more than a third of all persons charged with crimes. The proportion of women was generally low, 17 per cent in 2010."

"The average number of inmates in Norwegian prisons was 3,624 in 2010. This is an increase of seven per cent on the year before, and more than in any of the preceding 50 years. Almost 30 per cent of inmates at the start of 2010 had drug crime as their primary offence. By comparison, crimes against property accounted for 22 per cent and crimes of violence for 21 per cent.
"There were 1,959 new imprisonments in Norwegian prisons in 2010 with drug crime as the primary offence. A total of 591 of the imprisonments were for aggravated drug crimes pursuant to the General Civil Penal Code section 162 second and third paragraphs. While the proportion of women was slightly more than 9 per cent for drug crimes in all, it was as high as 13 per cent for aggravated drug crimes."

Source: SIRUS
* Figures are rounded.

"The figures include all injecting use. Heroin is still the most common drug injected, but, for more and more people, amphetamine is becoming the main drug injected. The proportion of injecting drug users in Oslo who had primarily injected amphetamine during the past month was approximately 20 per cent in 2002–2004. In 2008–2010, the corresponding figure was approximately 35 per cent (unpublished results from a study conducted among injecting drug users in Oslo, Bretteville-Jensen, SIRUS). It has also become more common to inject both heroin and amphetamine."

"The incidence of HIV among injecting drug users has remained at a stable, low level for many years, with about 10 to 15 cases reported per year. The reason for this is not entirely clear, but a high level of testing, great openness regarding HIV status within the drug user community, combined with a strong fear of being infected and strong internal justice in the milieu, are assumed to be important factors. In addition, many of the sources of infection in the milieu have disappeared due to overdose deaths, and some have been rehabilitated through substitution therapy or other forms of rehabilitation. However, the extensive outbreaks of hepatitis A and B in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the high incidence of hepatitis C, show that there is still extensive needle sharing in this group, although a large number of syringes are handed out every year in Norway."

"The monitoring of hepatitis C in Norway was intensified from 1 January 2008. The notification criteria were changed so that all laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis C must now be reported to MSIS [Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases]. Previously, only acute illness had to be reported, and this resulted in a very inadequate overview of the real incidence of the disease in the country. In 2011, 1,676 cases of hepatitis C (both acute and chronic cases) were reported. No information was provided about the presumed mode of transmission in about half of the reported cases, but in the cases where the mode of transmission is known, 83 per cent were infected through the use of needles. For the time being, data from MSIS cannot distinguish between cases involving new infection with hepatitis C and cases where the infection occurred many years ago. It is therefore not known whether newly acquired hepatitis C infection has declined or increased among drug users in recent years.
"Among OST patients, the status survey for 2011 (see Chapter 5.2.2) shows that, for the country as a whole, 65 per cent of the clients were hepatitis C antibody positive, roughly the same proportion as in 2010. This is lower than expected, and the explanation is probably that the percentage with unknown status was as high as 20 per cent."

"Many of the drug-related deaths are believed to be due to extensive multiple-drug use. The heroin-specific metabolite monoacetylmorphine was detected in 38 per cent of the deaths, but other substances were found to be present as well in 40 per cent of heroin/morphine-related deaths. Methadone was detected in 16 per cent of the deaths, but it was the only detected substance in only 18 cases. Amphetamine and/or methamphetamine and/or cocaine were detected in 16 per cent of the deaths."

"Waiting times for treatment for drug and alcohol problems appear to be decreasing. The Norwegian National Patient Register publishes statistics every quarter of waiting times for treatment and violations of treatment guarantees. In interdisciplinary specialised treatment, the average waiting time in 2011 was 72 days for patients who were entitled to prioritised treatment (both alcohol and drug problems), a reduction of eight days from 2009. In the first four months of 2012, the waiting time decreased further to 66 days. The average waiting time for patients in mental
health care was 54 days in 2011, roughly the same as in the two preceding years. If the patient does not wish to accept the offer of treatment he/she is given, but chooses instead to wait for an available place in a particular institution, the waiting time will usually be considerably longer."

"The proportion treated with methadone was 47 per cent, while 53 per cent were treated with buprenorphine-based medication. Nationwide, 67 per cent now get their medication prescribed by their GP. GPs thus play a key role in OST, a role that seems to be increasing. Almost half (47%) are issued their medication at a pharmacy, and an additional 32 per cent receive it from municipal services. Only three per cent received their medication from an OST centre."

"The accident and emergency service in Oslo has a project called Prosjekt ungdom og rus på legevakta (‘Young people and alcohol/drugs at the accident and emergency service’), which is a specialised team that is part of the municipal emergency drug and alcohol facilities. In a collaboration between the municipality and the health authorities, the accident and emergency services in Oslo and Bergen have set up dedicated reception facilities for people with drug or alcohol problems, and observation beds for short-term admissions. Wards have been established in both Oslo and Bergen to take care of persons with drug or alcohol problems in emergency situations.
"The ambulance service is often called out to drug addicts who have overdosed. Figures from the emergency medical communication centre (AMK) for Oslo and Akershus show that a total of 3,300 ambulance call-outs in 2011 were due to overdoses. The AMK centre in Bergen registered 97 overdose call-outs relating to the use of opioids during the period October 2011–March 2012, compared with 224 in the previous half-year. In the same period, 108 call-outs relating to overdoses of GHB/GBL were registered, compared with 101 in the previous half-year. The AMK centre also registered 66 overdose call-outs where the type of drug was unknown during the
period October 2011–March 2012."

"Naloxone is the most common antidote used for overdoses. It is normally ambulance personnel who administer naloxone in connection with opioid overdoses, and doses are administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. It is now being discussed whether naloxone in the form of a mouth spray should be available to others as well, as first aid for someone who has overdosed
until the ambulance arrives."

Laws & Policies

"On 22 June 2012, the Government presented a white paper on drugs and alcohol policy.⁴ This is the first white paper setting out a comprehensive drugs and alcohol policy that covers alcohol, drugs, addictive medicinal drugs, and doping as a social problem. In the white paper, the Government presents targets and measures ranging from effective prevention, early intervention and help for people with extensive drug and alcohol problems to measures targeting next-of-kin and third parties affected by the harm caused by drug and alcohol use.
"The main topics in the report are challenges and policies relating to alcohol, which is the substance that causes most harm, and drugs.
"The policy relating to doping as a social problem is integrated in the white paper. Based on the fact that doping can cause physical, mental and social problems, the Government advocates mobilising against doping through preventive, treatment and crime-combating measures, and it proposes criminalising possession and use of doping. The white paper also describes efforts to achieve the correct prescription and use of addictive medicinal drugs."

"With effect from 1 February 2012, the Storting Implementation of the national action plan introduced ‘drug driving limits’ for 20 narcotic substances and potentially intoxicating medicinal drugs. Norway thereby became the first country in the world to set legal and sentencing limits for substances other than alcohol. The amendments to the Road Traffic Act entered
into force on 22 July 2012. Among other things, the amendments are intended to ensure greater agreement between the Road Traffic Act’s provisions on drink driving and the regulation of driving under the influence of other intoxicating or narcotic substances."
[Note: The Storting is the Norwegian Parliament.]

"The municipality is responsible for organising an accident and emergency service to attend to the population’s need for emergency assistance. This includes emergency assistance for people with mental illness and drug or alcohol problems.
"Emergency drug and alcohol treatment facilities have been established in several cities in recent years. The measures are organised differently, and the type of services offered varies. What they have in common is that they are open 24 hours a day, are easily accessible and provide assistance to users in an acute life situation."