What happened
Four children have been taken to hospital in southern Stockholm. The children may have ingested candy containing narcotics. According to reports, the children found the candy in the woods near a school.
Our analysis
When drugs end up on the forest edge next to a school, it is the children who pay the price. In southern Stockholm, many new Swedes live with this insecurity on their doorstep. It is their schoolyards and immediate surroundings that are turned into storage locations for the illegal market.
Politicians readily talk about tougher measures against gangs in these areas. But the rhetoric does not protect children during recess. When resources for schools and local supervision decrease, the wooded groves are left open for drug stashes.
Security cannot merely be a slogan at podiums. Real security means that all children can stay safely at their school, regardless of postal code. The black market profits from the absence of protection, while families with children are left with the anxiety.
Explained
Drug-laced candy is ordinary sweets that have been prepared with narcotic substances such as cannabis.