Fundur Norrænu ráðherranefndarinnar

Dear colleages and coworkers

Cooperation within the Nordic countries and partnership between the Nordic and the Baltic States is of utmost importance towards the goal of reducing, or I would rather like to say, eliminating the sale and use of narcotics. Iceland has taken an explicit standpoint against the legalization of narcotics; the sale, the use and distribution. Results from a recent poll in Iceland (june 2003) show that a large majority of the nation (87%) is against the legalization.

The policy statement of the Icelandic government emphasizes "systematic action in the battle against the drug problem. A comprehensive preventive strategy will be devised in cooperation with the police, schools, sports associations and parents. No lenience will be shown towards drugs, their importation, distribution or use. More types of treatment will be made available and a strong focus given to preventive action."

The Public Health Institute in Iceland was formerly established in July 1st 2003. From then on The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Council is part of the Institute, together with The Icelandic Nutrition Council, The Anti-Smoking Committee and The Accident prevention Committee. Some changes in the Council's work and location are expected in the future but as of now they are not known. The goal of the institute is to improve public health by implementing articulate and well recognized methods, focusing both on the population as a whole and on special groups.

Preliminary results from the third ESPAD survey that was conducted in 35 European countries in 2003 show that substance use among Icelandic teenagers has decreased significantly in recent years, and students currently completing secondary school have used less drugs throughout their schoolcareer than earlier cohorts.

One of the most important factors in prevention of drug abuse among teenagers is positive and constructive communication between parents and children. Results from two recent Icelandic studies show that regular contact between parents and children reduces substantially the risk of the child becoming a drug addict. The more time young people spend with their parents during weekdays the lesser becomes the likelihood that they start smoking, abusing alcohol or getting involved with drugs.

Quality family services and comprehensive governmental family policy is therefore exstremely important in this discussion.

It is a well known fact that children and teenagers that start drinking alcohol at an early age are much more at risk of becoming drug addicts later in life than those who start alcohol consumption later in life or don't start at all. Therefore, preventive measures that are aimed at alcohol drinking among teenagers simultainiously serve as prevention against drug abuse.

The only way in which we will succeed in eliminating, or at least prevent increased drug abuse, is by coordinated effort between our Nordic- and Baltic nations and in close cooperation with the international community.

Police and customs on an international level, the social services and the health care as well as the many NGO'S involved must all together conspire to put an end to the distribution and use of narcotics.