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February 13, 2012
Sewage exposes Stockholm cocaine use
Published: 22 Mar 10 10:33 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/25666/20100322/
Clubbers and partygoers in Stockholm consume around 3,000 doses of cocaine per weekend night, according to tests on the city's sewage water conducted on the request of the TV4 programme Kalla Fakta.
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Sewage water from the inner city and the southern suburbs was tested for traces of cocaine and benzoylecgonine (ecgonine benzoate), which is a bi-product left after the body breaks down the drug.
The samples were sent to Karolinska University Hospital in Solna for analysis.
"The tests show that the equivalent of 10-20 (100mg) doses flows into the water system per hour," Olof Beck at the hospital told the programme.
Cocaine available in Stockholm is known to have been diluted fivefold and so the programme was able to calculate that 3,000 doses were consumed during the evening - 2,000 in the inner-city and 1,000 in the southern suburbs.
The method is one which has been applied in the USA, the UK and Italy, among other countries, but is the first time that it has been used in Sweden.
"The method is totally reliable," Olof Beck told the Kalla Fakta.
A test conducted in the Norwegian capital Oslo in 2007 showed that 8,000 doses are consumed daily. A previous test on the water of the Po river in northern Italy showed that around 40,000 doses of cocaine were consumed in a catchment area of five million people.
TT/Peter Vinthagen Simpson
news@thelocal.se
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Swedish word of the day
fin
adjective
Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.
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I am not totally surprised by the actions of ur gov. but compleletly taken aback by the sheer indifference of ur progressive population in the Nordic in general and more so in Sweden.
Sure u have more freedoms and rights than any where in the planet, and I hoped u spread that love around.
The attitude of politicians towards drugs reminds me a lot the recent case of a gay senator from California. Even though he was a gay, he always voted against gay rights and supported hard policies on gays "because that's what voters wanted".
Politician worldwide going against drugs very often take them themselves. That is an insane hypocrisy.
quite right. this country does seem a little crazy like that, but i forgot, this is the land of the fra law. mandatory drug tests? you swedes seem very eager to give away all of your personal privacy at the slightest BOO! of any boogeyman.
and Ms Ask, LOL! the fra and ipred laws (i remember her pushing so hard for both) seem to me to be somebody else's fight (namely the U.S.). why would swedes let all of there communications be monitored? is the anti-sweden terrorists coalition that large? do you all live in fear of it? no, the reason is that the U.S. wants to listen, as much of russia's data traffic runs thru the swedish backbone. my question is who's dog is she? not yours!
then she opens her mouth and expounds the notion that it would be a good idea to publicly humiliate people who haven't been convicted of a crime. maybe she isn't America's dog after all. maybe she's just very simple and confused old lady... but she's still your minister of justice, and that's scarier than any terrorist.
++1 to you mate.
I think there is alot of truth 'we' (the people) dont really know about the entire DRUG TRADE/ INDUSTRY. Just think of how much revenue (power..?) that it generates.
Just think....
C ocaine
I nfiltrating
A gency
Look up the investigations into the agency since the 80's from the Contra War.
(and they dont answer to...anyone! Not even the president.)
But 'they' just exist in the US.....right?...