Whose safety comes first? Comparing responses to open drug scenes in Oslo and Helsinki

Drugs,

Visible and persistent: Oslo’s long-term struggle In Oslo, open drug scenes have been part of the urban landscape for decades, despite rep [...]

NAD 5-6/2025

A strait apart: Everyday life on the margins in Copenhagen and Malmö

Drugs,

Our survey of 474 people who use drugs in Copenhagen and Malmö shows how these political choices shape everyday life on the street. In Cope [...]

The door half open for farm sales in Norway

Alcohol,

Farm sales have been on Norway’s political agenda for many years. While the proposal enjoys broad political support, earlier legal analyse [...]

Laughing gas is no laughing matter: How recreational use endanger lives in traffic

Drugs,

New study to assist law enforcement in keeping the roads safe Preliminary results from Aarhus University show that N2O can be detected for l [...]

In the Feed and in the Glass: Celebrity alcohol marketing in Sweden

Alcohol,

The Swedish artist Måns Zelmerlöw describes his wine as “very easy to drink,” a statement that, while vague, has helped his brand sell [...]

A shifting picture: Overdose deaths in the Nordic region

Drugs,

– Many who are prescribed opioids for chronic illness don’t see themselves at risk – and therefore don’t consider naloxone, even tho [...]

Is there a Nordic model for alcohol and gambling policy? 

Alcohol, Gambling,

Alcohol policy in the Nordic region, apart from Denmark, has historically been known for its restrictiveness. High taxes, limited number of [...]

Stories of parties, risk and youth in Iceland

Alcohol,

In our research we wanted to understand what ideas young people in Iceland, aged 18-20 draw on when they think about alcohol, gender roles, [...]

Are we prepared to tackle addiction in community pharmacies?

Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling,

A recent survey among Finnish community pharmacists highlights the everyday presence of addiction-related concerns in pharmacy practice. Con [...]

COVID-19, mental health and alcohol in Sweden

Alcohol,

In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, overall alcohol consumption in Sweden decreased by 6 per cent. However, alcohol-related harm – at [...]

The typical self-medicative user of cannabis in Finland is an older woman who uses edibles, new survey study shows

Drugs,

A recent study published in iScience, examined differences between mainly recreationally and medically motivated cannabis users in Finland. [...]

Who are Norway’s last daily smokers – and do they want to quit?

Tobacco,

Daily smoking – a habit in decline Over the past fifty years, daily cigarette smoking in Norway has transformed from a common and soci [...]

Young people, alcohol and risk: A Culture of Caution

Alcohol,

Since the turn of the millennium, substantial declines have occurred in the alcohol consumption of teenagers across numerous countries. This [...]

Responsible gambling disclosure strategies of Nordic state‐owned gambling companies

Gambling,

The aim of the study was to identify the disclosure strategies employed by these companies. To this end, the framework developed by Leung an [...]

NAD 4/2025

Hygge and beer: Danish alcohol culture puts responsibility on the individual

Alcohol,

– Beer plays a central role in the cultural narrative of Denmark. The meaning of Danishness – “Danskhed” revolves around cosiness. D [...]

NAD 3/2025

Renewal of the Finnish gambling legislation

Gambling,

In March 2023, the Finnish Consumer and Competition Authority (KKV) reported that Veikkaus, the monopoly operator, no longer held exclusive [...]

Sweden’s drinking habits: 162 years of Bottoms Up and Crackdowns

Alcohol,

Total sales There have been significant shifts in beverage preferences between 1861 and 2023. In the early years, spirits overwhelmingly [...]

NAD 2/2025

Policy changes the public doesn’t want? The curious case of Finnish alcohol regulation

Alcohol,

The THL- survey published in mid-March 2025 paints a clear picture: 54 per cent of respondents favor maintaining current alcohol regulations [...]

Addressing “Not In My Backyard”- concerns: A new dialogue tool

Alcohol,

With support from the Norwegian State Housing Bank and four Norwegian municipalities, a team of researchers have developed a dialogue tool c [...]

Substance use among Faroese youth: What influences their choices?

Alcohol, Drugs,

In recent years, the Faroe Islands have seen a significant rise in the confiscation of illegal drugs. Police data show that while approximat [...]

Call for Papers: Regulation of Online Gambling: Policy, Tools, and International Collaboration

Gambling,

Online gambling has been increasing for years, particularly in the Nordic countries, where a considerable proportion of gambling now happens [...]

Substance use patterns among adolescent girls in Norway

Alcohol, Drugs,

Increased use of illicit substances Adolescence involves significant physical, psychological and social changes, and for many, these years a [...]

The future of Nordic cooperation on alcohol policy: where do we stand?

Alcohol,

In his 1999 paper The idea of alcohol policy, Professor Robin Room highlighted the origins of the term “alcohol policy” in Nordic langua [...]

NAD 1/2025

The opioid industry: A snake eating its own tail

Drugs,

Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman (1993) once described modern times as a snake eating its own tail. This metaphor perfectly encapsulates the opioi [...]

From cigarette butts to snus: shifting trends in urban litter

Tobacco,

In 2024, snus accounted for 21 per cent of all litter in cities where waste measurements were carried out, making it the second most common [...]

A growing crisis in the world’s happiest country: Young lives lost to drug-induced deaths

Drugs,

Finland’s rising drug-related deaths have gained international attention. In March 2023, Euronews highlighted the issue with the headline [...]

Rise in nicotine use and gambling among Swedish students: Insights from the annual school report on alcohol and other drugs

Alcohol, Gambling, Tobacco,

Gambling One of the most prominent trends in this year’s survey is the continued increase in the proportion of students who gambled fo [...]

New study on young people’s use of non-prescribed opioids in Denmark

Drugs,

The report explores the pathways into and out of opioid use among Danish youth. It provides a detailed account of how young people encounter [...]

Nordic Alcohol Policies: At a Crossroads

How come Electronic Gambling Machines are more common in disadvantaged neighborhoods?

Gambling,

Gambling, particularly through electronic gambling machines (EGMs), poses significant public health challenges worldwide. EGMs are recognize [...]

NAD 6/2024

Nicotine gate: How flavour choices sparked a political scandal

Tobacco,

In April 2023, the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea) revised its stance on nicotine pouches,  no longer categorizing them as medicinal produ [...]

Professionals’ perspectives on alcohol or drug use during pregnancy

Alcohol,

Vulnerability Previous research has suggested, that 3-6 per cent of pregnant women in Denmark use alcohol or drugs during their pregnancy. H [...]

Focusing on power structures in digital gambling: Helsinki researchers secure major grant

Gambling,

– Writing the ERC application was incredibly rewarding. It allowed me to think on a much larger scale than before. A small country like F [...]

Alcohol’s hidden costs: Can we afford this burden?

Alcohol,

A recent review conducted by the Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention (EHYT) and the Finnish Consulting Group (FCG) provides f [...]

New study reveals worrying gambling patterns among high school students in Skåne, Sweden

Gambling,

In 2023, an anonymous online survey study was carried out among high school students across several high schools in Skåne county, southern [...]

Norwegian teenagers report liberal views on doping to build muscle and lose weight

Doping,

It is well documented that long-term use of IPEDs, particularly AAS, is linked to various physiological and psychological side effects, high [...]

Finnish Gambling and the Common Good in Addiction Policies

Gambling,

When I started working on my dissertation in 2016, Finnish gambling policy centered around upholding a public state monopoly, which the gove [...]

20 years of success: Effects of the Responsible Beverage Service program in Stockholm

Alcohol,

In the mid-1990s, Stockholm was struggling with high levels of alcohol-related problems in nightlife settings. As a response, a pioneering p [...]

The boss drinks the most

Alcohol,

How drinking habits vary between different groups has been extensively studied in Sweden. However, studies on differences between occupation [...]

NAD 4/2024

The Glamorisation of Nicotine Pouches: A Threat to Young People’s Health

Tobacco,

Nicotine pouches are becoming a major health concern. Despite claims that the products are aimed at existing adult smokers and vapers, brand [...]

Guardians of the Status Quo: A content analysis of the magazine of the Swedish Narcotic Police Association

Drugs,

According to the police association’s magazine, the drug problem is large, serious and growing. Cannabis is a threat to humanity, and [...]

Farm sales set the wheels in motion – could lead to the collapse of Systembolaget

Alcohol,

On June 5, 2024, there was a major shift in Nordic alcohol policy. In Finland, a new law was passed allowing the sale of fermented alcoholic [...]

NAD 3/2024