Sammanfattning
AIMS – This paper explores different approaches to quantify the human costs related to drug use.
DATA AND METHODS – The data come from a representative survey of 3092 respondents above the
age of 18 in four Nordic capitals: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm. RESULTS – The results
show that in most Nordic capitals more than half of the respondents at some time have known and
worried about the drug use of somebody they know personally. Moreover, while the average reported
harm was about 2 on a scale from 0 to 10, a significant minority (10%) of those knowing drug users
indicated that the harm was above 5. CONCLUSIONS – Many persons have at some time personally
known somebody who uses drugs. This causes significant human harm and should be included in the
estimate of the social cost of illegal drugs. These results are relevant in the debate on the size of the
drug problem as well as for targeting groups that experience the highest costs.