ABSTRACT
Until the mid-1980s Switzerland's drug policy was similar to those of many other European countries of that time: born out of external influence, updated after new international agreements, strong on law enforcement but also promoting prevention and abstinence-oriented treatment. The narcotics law underwent a full revision in 1951, primarily to adapt its content to international conventions adopted between the two world wars. The increase in drug use went along, as in many other countries, with the development of rebellious youth movements. These occurred a bit later in Switzerland than in neighbouring countries and, possibly, took longer to unfold. By the mid-1980s Switzerland's drug problem was turning into a drugs crisis. The measures developed by the cantons following the 1975 law could not meet the size of the problem: a report from 1983 mentioned 320 beds dedicated to long-term drug treatment.
