Article

• Published in: Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
• Main Author: Guðmundsson, Gestur
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 1999
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/145507259901600101; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/145507259901600101

Gestur Guðmundsson: Wrestling with the devil. The social meaning of drugs and drug policy in Iceland During the 1990s Iceland has seen both an increased use of illegal substances and an intensified war against drugs. The accent in this war is on preventive measures implemented in a joint effort by the authorities and various voluntary organizations. Drawing on materials from interviews, public debate and historical research, the article discusses the social meaning of drugs in late modern Iceland in relation to world-views rooted in religion and premodern society. Secularization and the weakened position of the Church conceal the fact that drugs have largely replaced alcohol (which replaced sexuality, which replaced the witches and their pre-Lutheran world-views) as the representative of Evil and Sin. However, in Iceland there is a strong tradition which views “Wrestling with the Devil” as an intrinsic part of the transition to adulthood. The ongoing war against drugs may consolidate their evil role and thus also experimenting with drugs as a part of growing up. The dominant scientific contributions are criticized for failing to reflect upon these ambiguities and the deeper meaning of drugs and alcohol, thus reproducing problematic labelling and even contributing to modern witch-hunting.