Swedish Drug Users Union
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Drug Users Union (acronym: SDUU) or (acronym: SBF) is an non-profit NGO and was founded in October 2002 by users associated to the Swedish OST (Opiate Substitution Treatment) programs.
”Nothing about us without us” is the most important issue in their philosophy, which means that all groups must be represented by themselves and speak on their own behalf. For example - the board of directors should only include the target group. It is stated in their statues that only users can be on the board.
SDUU organizes Swedish drug users of both legal- and illicit drugs, opioid
/opiate
users who have or wants OST/MMT (opioid substitution treatment or methadone maintenance treatment). They also support the idea of maintenance treatment for amphetamine
users and other drugs.
The work includes appeals, complaints, support users with different matters such as: apply for maintenance treatment, advocate for patient rights and to convince the healthcare and social workers to see and understand things from the users perspective. They also write op-eds and carry out lobbying.
SDUU:s ideology consists of:
They cooperate with several European and international organizations that support a drug policy based upon the ideas of harm reduction
and human rights
. SDUU is a member of the steering committee of the EuroHRN (European Harm Reduction Network) and are the Swedish representatives for INPUD (International Network for People who Use Drugs) and NAMA (National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery), they are also associated partner with the Correlation network.
In 2007 and 2008 SDUU gave speeches to UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
SDUU arranges a yearly seminar with focus on HR. One part of the seminar is an award ceremony for ”Brukarvänspriset” (the user friendly award). Earlier winners include Professor Lars Gunne - the founding father of one of the worlds oldest OST (Ulleråker hospital Uppsala founded 1967), Björn Fries - former drug policy coordinator to the government, the needle exchange program in Malmö
& Lund
, Professor
Henrik Tham, Professor
Ted Goldberg, The National Board of Health and Welfare and four MPs from the Left wing Party for their stance om decriminalization
of personal use.
SDUU currently has local branches in Stockholm
, Göteborg, Halmstad
, Kalmar
, Skåne, Örebro
, Umeå
, Skellefteå
and Piteå
.
”Nothing about us without us” is the most important issue in their philosophy, which means that all groups must be represented by themselves and speak on their own behalf. For example - the board of directors should only include the target group. It is stated in their statues that only users can be on the board.
SDUU organizes Swedish drug users of both legal- and illicit drugs, opioid
Opioid
An opioid is a psychoactive chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract...
/opiate
Opiate
In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant.-Overview:Opiates are so named because they are constituents or derivatives of constituents found in opium, which is processed from the latex sap of the opium poppy,...
users who have or wants OST/MMT (opioid substitution treatment or methadone maintenance treatment). They also support the idea of maintenance treatment for amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
users and other drugs.
The work includes appeals, complaints, support users with different matters such as: apply for maintenance treatment, advocate for patient rights and to convince the healthcare and social workers to see and understand things from the users perspective. They also write op-eds and carry out lobbying.
SDUU:s ideology consists of:
- make a clear distinctions between prevention, organized crimeOrganized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, and harm reductionHarm reductionHarm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
; - combat any care ideologyIdeologyAn ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
; - combat the stigmatization that drug users encounter every day;
- a change of focus from preservation of dogmaDogmaDogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
to preservation of the right to life and health; - legislative evaluations and steps for change, including the law that says it is illegal to use and to have drugs in your body;
- create a ombudsmanOmbudsmanAn ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
for drug users; - create a harm reductionHarm reductionHarm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
coordinator.
They cooperate with several European and international organizations that support a drug policy based upon the ideas of harm reduction
Harm reduction
Harm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. SDUU is a member of the steering committee of the EuroHRN (European Harm Reduction Network) and are the Swedish representatives for INPUD (International Network for People who Use Drugs) and NAMA (National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery), they are also associated partner with the Correlation network.
In 2007 and 2008 SDUU gave speeches to UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976...
SDUU arranges a yearly seminar with focus on HR. One part of the seminar is an award ceremony for ”Brukarvänspriset” (the user friendly award). Earlier winners include Professor Lars Gunne - the founding father of one of the worlds oldest OST (Ulleråker hospital Uppsala founded 1967), Björn Fries - former drug policy coordinator to the government, the needle exchange program in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
& Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Henrik Tham, Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Ted Goldberg, The National Board of Health and Welfare and four MPs from the Left wing Party for their stance om decriminalization
Decriminalization
Decriminalization or Decriminalisation is the abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts, perhaps retroactively, though perhaps regulated permits or fines might still apply . The reverse process is criminalization.Decriminalization reflects changing social and moral views...
of personal use.
SDUU currently has local branches in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Göteborg, Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
, Kalmar
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
, Skåne, Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Skellefteå
Skellefteå
-Industry:*Boliden AB, a big mining and smelting company*Alimak*Natural User Interface Technologies AB - NUITEQ, a promising emerging technology start-up company-Sports:*Skellefteå AIK, an ice hockey team in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien....
and Piteå
Piteå
Piteå is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The town has 22,650 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 41,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
.