Pharmacies in Sweden are run by a state monopoly, in much the same way that alcohol sales are run exclusively by the Canadian government. But the Swedish stores will be branching out a bit from selling the usual health goods when June rolls around.
STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Swedish pharmacies, which are run under a state monopoly chain called Apoteket, will begin selling sex toys such as dildos in June, a spokeswoman for the chain said on Friday.
"It's a trial that will begin in June. We're going to sell a small selection of sexual products in about 50 stores," Elisabet Linge Bergman told AFP.
The range of articles will include "massage oils and dildos," she said.
Apoteket decided to introduce the products "because we know that sex is an important part of our well-being and our health," Linge Bergman said.
"We want to help play down (the use of sex toys), so that it doesn't have to be something secret or shameful," she added.
In other words, the state has substituted itself for parental judgment in Sweden. If some parents would rather not have their children exposed to these sorts of things, for whatever reason, the parents will now have to keep their kids out of drugstores instead of relying on the state to ensure that only adults can go into establishments that cater to more adult oriented merchandise. (I haven't a thing in the world against people who want to use these, BTW.) Many decisions should not be made by the state. In fact, most should not. I would submit that this is one of them.
But had this story originated from a country just west of Sweden, I could have had a really good time playing off the title of a Beatles song. Dang. Missed it by *that* much.
One wonders…if the Swedish government screws this up like they screwed up "free" health care and the "cradle-to-grave" welfare state, will Sweden suffer, ahem, a decline in desire? Will the Swedish version of Hilly the Hun then promise to make purchase of sex toys mandatory – under penalty of law? Will government officials eventually market sex movies which have all of the passion and eroticism of a public service announcement?
Honestly – you cannot make stuff like this up!