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Om paternalism i narkotikastrafflagen

Jansson, Gottfrid LU (2019) LAGF03 20191
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The number of drug related deaths in Sweden is second to worst in all of EU. The legislation on drug related crimes is simultaneously very strict. This certainly raises some questions regarding the legislation, regardless of whether there is an actual correspondence between these two facts. This essay will focus on the construction and justification of the paternalistic element in the Swedish drug laws. First, paternalism as a concept will be discussed, as well as its connection to penal law and the modes of justification. Next, the current scope of the criminalisation and how it has expanded since the law was introduced will be examined. Then, the different arguments which has been provided as justification by the legislator will be... (More)
The number of drug related deaths in Sweden is second to worst in all of EU. The legislation on drug related crimes is simultaneously very strict. This certainly raises some questions regarding the legislation, regardless of whether there is an actual correspondence between these two facts. This essay will focus on the construction and justification of the paternalistic element in the Swedish drug laws. First, paternalism as a concept will be discussed, as well as its connection to penal law and the modes of justification. Next, the current scope of the criminalisation and how it has expanded since the law was introduced will be examined. Then, the different arguments which has been provided as justification by the legislator will be examined. These include: the interest of preparing care for the addicts, limiting access to drugs, clearly expressing society’s condemnation of all illegal use of drugs, prevent other criminal acts which are often connected to addicts and make it easier for the police to interfere in environments where drugs presumably circulate. Finally, these different arguments will be discussed from the modes of justifying paternalism. The verdict is that the legislator provides quite weak justification for the penalties directed toward both addicts and recreational drug users. At the same time, the legislator seems more interested in the condemnation of all usage of drugs rather than helping those who suffer from addiction. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
De narkotikarelaterade dödsfallen i Sverige är näst högst per capita i hela EU. Samtidigt har Sverige en väldigt strikt strafflagstiftning gällande just narkotikabrott. Oavsett om det här är ett samband eller inte väcker det många frågor om hur lagstiftningen egentligen fungerar. I den här undersökningen utreds hur det paternalistiska inslaget i den svenska narkotikalagstiftningen har konstruerats och rättfärdigats. I ett första steg utreds vad paternalism är som begrepp, hur det förhåller sig till straffrätten och hur den kan rättfärdigas. I ett andra steg redogörs vad som är kriminaliserat enligt narkotikastrafflagen och hur det kriminaliserade området har utvecklats sedan lagen först instiftades. I ett tredje steg ringas de olika... (More)
De narkotikarelaterade dödsfallen i Sverige är näst högst per capita i hela EU. Samtidigt har Sverige en väldigt strikt strafflagstiftning gällande just narkotikabrott. Oavsett om det här är ett samband eller inte väcker det många frågor om hur lagstiftningen egentligen fungerar. I den här undersökningen utreds hur det paternalistiska inslaget i den svenska narkotikalagstiftningen har konstruerats och rättfärdigats. I ett första steg utreds vad paternalism är som begrepp, hur det förhåller sig till straffrätten och hur den kan rättfärdigas. I ett andra steg redogörs vad som är kriminaliserat enligt narkotikastrafflagen och hur det kriminaliserade området har utvecklats sedan lagen först instiftades. I ett tredje steg ringas de olika argument in som lagstiftaren har använt för att rättfärdiga paternalismen. Helt kortfattat innebär dessa att staten vill bereda missbrukaren vård, begränsa tillgången till narkotika genom att kväva marknaden, tydligt uttrycka samhällets avståndstagande från all befattning med narkotika, förhindra den brottslighet som ofta hänger samman med narkotikabruk och möjliggöra fler polisiära ingripanden. Avslutningsvis diskuteras dessa olika argument utifrån de paternalistiska begrepp och modeller för rättfärdigande som presenterats. Slutsatsen är att staten rättfärdigar bestraffningen av både missbrukare och rekreationsbrukare på svaga grunder och att det paternalistiska syftet verkar vika för ett intresse av att tydligt fördöma all befattning med narkotika. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Jansson, Gottfrid LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
straffrätt, criminal law
language
Swedish
id
8977049
date added to LUP
2019-09-16 10:32:32
date last changed
2019-09-16 10:32:32
@misc{8977049,
  abstract     = {{The number of drug related deaths in Sweden is second to worst in all of EU. The legislation on drug related crimes is simultaneously very strict. This certainly raises some questions regarding the legislation, regardless of whether there is an actual correspondence between these two facts. This essay will focus on the construction and justification of the paternalistic element in the Swedish drug laws. First, paternalism as a concept will be discussed, as well as its connection to penal law and the modes of justification. Next, the current scope of the criminalisation and how it has expanded since the law was introduced will be examined. Then, the different arguments which has been provided as justification by the legislator will be examined. These include: the interest of preparing care for the addicts, limiting access to drugs, clearly expressing society’s condemnation of all illegal use of drugs, prevent other criminal acts which are often connected to addicts and make it easier for the police to interfere in environments where drugs presumably circulate. Finally, these different arguments will be discussed from the modes of justifying paternalism. The verdict is that the legislator provides quite weak justification for the penalties directed toward both addicts and recreational drug users. At the same time, the legislator seems more interested in the condemnation of all usage of drugs rather than helping those who suffer from addiction.}},
  author       = {{Jansson, Gottfrid}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Om paternalism i narkotikastrafflagen}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}