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Aim: To describe what Finns think about drugs and drug policies. Method: The information is based on a posted questionnaire sent out by Statistics Finland in the Autumn of 2002. A representative sample was randomly chosen from a target group consisting of 15–69 year-old Finns (N= 4 053). The response rate was 63 per cent. The comparative material comprises studies from 1992, 1996 and 1998. Results: The worry over the drug problem has continuously increased among Finns. The views of the respondents concerning health risks associated with drugs varied according to age. The attitude towards heroin is, however, extremely negative in all age groups. The Finns stand firmly behind the current drug policies, and consequently the legalisation of drugs receives scant support. The new powers that have been granted to the police receive near unanimous support. Policies aimed at harm reduction such as substitution treatment for drug addicts, and the exchange of needles and syringes are also seen as legitimate measures. School is the most important source of information for the younger respondents, while the older respondents receive their information from the media. Conclusions: The development of attitudes has become differentiated. Attitudes towards smoking and heavy drinking have become harder, while the attitudes towards cannabis have softened somewhat. Unlike in Great Britain where the attitude towards cannabis has become more liberal in all age groups, this change has remained a generational phenomenon in Finland, limited to those age groups who were born in the 1970s and 1980s.

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