Tålt brutalitet? Om hva vi vet og ikke vet om mennesker med narkotikarelaterte problemer

Abstract

Norwegian drug policy has been disputed for more than 50 years and rose to the top of the political agenda when the government proposed a reform in 2021. To make a sound evaluation of the current policy regime, it is a requirement that the upsides can be balanced with the downsides. The term “control damage” captures some of the downsides, which have received political attention in recent years. This debate piece expands the concept of control damages, and it presents an outline of knowledge about unhealth and living conditions in drug scenes, and supplements it with the voices of “users”. The recurring theme is nevertheless the absence of knowledge. There is a lack of knowledge about both health and general conditions in drug scenes. There is also a lack of understanding the illicit drug culture. What is the meaning of the brutality that takes place in them? These cultures are simultaneously over-controlled and unpoliced societies. Would the drug policy debate play out differently if health and life conditions were the starting point?