"The National Board of Health and Welfare and the Public Health Agency of Sweden defines the procedures that county councils should follow when setting up NSPs [Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs], which include a justification of need (e.g. an estimate of the number of potential service users), an assessment of available resources, a provision plan for complementary and additional care services (e.g. detoxification, drug treatment and aftercare), and service quality requirements.

"Studies reporting estimates of high-risk drug use can help to identify the extent of the more entrenched drug use problems, while data on first-time entrants to specialised drug treatment centres, when considered alongside other indicators, can inform an understanding of the nature of and trends in high-risk drug use.
"A 2011 study estimated that there were 8 000 people who inject drugs in Sweden, the majority of whom used opioids and/or amphetamine. There is no national estimate on the prevalence of high-risk drug use by substance.

"In the 2016 survey, 4% of 16-year-olds and 13% of 18-year-olds responded that they had used drugs in the past 12 months (Tables 39–40). In a broader group of young adults (16–29 years), about 8% said they had used cannabis in the past year (Table 45). Viewed in a 45-year perspective, it is mainly the 1980s that stand out, with a lower percentage reporting personal experience of illicit drug use.

"Cannabis remains the illicit substance most commonly used in Sweden. However, lifetime prevalence of cannabis use among the general population remains low in comparison with other European countries. The data indicate that cannabis use is concentrated among young adults, in particular those aged 15-24 years. The long-term trend analysis shows a slight increase in last year cannabis use over the past decade among 16- to 34-years-olds. In general, cannabis use is more common among males than females.

(Harm Reduction Efforts and Safe Injection Education in Sweden, 2012) "Safe injecting practices aim at teaching injecting drug users to inject in a safe way (e.g. not sharing needles or syringes). Such practices are included in NSPs in Sweden. However, since the NSPs in Sweden are unevenly spread, a majority of injecting drug users in Sweden still lack the opportunity to reduce major health risks associated with using unsterile or contaminated injecting equipment.

(Low-Threshold Primary Healthcare Programs Aimed at Drug Users in Sweden, 2012) "Low-threshold health care centres (LTHC) offer health services (e.g. needle exchange, medical services) without attempting to control intake of drugs, and provide counselling only if requested. LTHCs may be contrasted with regular treatment programmes (“high-threshold" programmes), in which the user is required to accept a certain level of control.

(Homelessness and Substance Abuse in Sweden, 2012) "A national mapping of homelessness⁹ in Sweden, which was conducted in April 2011 shows an increase in the number of homeless people – from approximately 18,000 in 2005 to 34,000 in 2011(Socialstyrelsen, 2011a). The large increase in reported homeless people mainly concerns people who live in relatively long-term housing solutions, such as training flats and apartments with social contracts.

(Negative Effects From "Zero Tolerance" in Swedish Methadone Programs) "Some Swedish maintenance treatment programmes have 'zero tolerance' against lateral use, which means that a patient can be discharged from treatment after a single positive urine test (Heilig & Gunne, 2008).

(Correlations Between Alcohol Use, Tobacco Use, and Other Drug Use Among Swedish Youth) "Among students aged 15-16, approximately 40% of those who had used drugs also reported a large consumption of alcohol and this was a much higher proportion than among students with no reported drug use (8%).

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