The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous: Swedish Law #3

In this episode of Woke Fallout, I’m diving into some of Sweden’s most ridiculous laws — past and present. From needing a permit just to dance, to the ban on washing your own car in your driveway, to the rule that you can’t own just one guinea pig (seriously), Sweden has some wild regulations.

I break down laws that are still active, some that have thankfully died off, and why so many of them feel like the government’s way of deciding how people should live their lives. We’ll talk about alcohol monopolies and drug bans.

Get ready for my unfiltered takes on why these laws exist, why some make zero sense, and what they say about the balance between freedom and control. Because if you think your country’s laws are strange, just wait until you hear these.

So grab your coffee (thankfully legal again), hit play, and let’s laugh, rant, and question together.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
I'm Alex and this is Woke Fallout. Thepodcast where nothing’s too sacred to question and nobody’s
too big to call out. I dig into the past, dragthe present into the light and drop the kind
of takes that get people talking. Welcome tothe Fallout. In this episode we're gonna have
a look at some of Sweden's most ridiculous laws,both past and present. Such as why you are

(00:23):
allowed to sell sex, but you can't wash yourcar in your driveway. Why is there a law that
you can't just own one guinea pig? We'll getto some of these in this episode and a lot
more and some commentary obviously. We're goingto start off with some laws that are still
active to this day. Except this first one. Between1956 and 2023, you actually needed a dance permit

(00:48):
at clubs and bars. You couldn't just go out dancing.However, after the law was removed, you still
needed to report to the police free public eventssuch as you know, dances. And now to another
law, actually quite a new one. So, from I thinkit was the beginning of July 2025, it's actually

(01:08):
illegal to insult or verbally abuse officials.There is public employees such as you
know, social workers, police, government officials,healthcare professionals and teachers. Now,
I don't know. Why do you have such a subjectivelaw in the first place? It's beyond me. If
there are to be subjective laws, why just havethem limited to public employees? Why should

(01:32):
people be able to be insulted? This next oneis actually not a law per se, it's more like
local regulation. So from the 90s... You aren'tactually allowed to wash your car outside your
house because it could pollute lakes and watercourses,so I guess there's a reason for it. But still.
Now this next law is really odd. At least Ithink so. So we have like a guinea pig law,

(01:55):
right? And so it's illegal to own just one.You need to have at least two guinea pigs because
apparently guinea pigs are social animals andrequire companionship for like mental and physical
well-being. Sure, you know, I guess I can agree.But I mean, there's plenty of animals other
than guinea pigs that actually are, you know,social animals. So this is really all I mean,

(02:16):
if there should be a law, why not have it alaw for all social animals? And beside that,
let's say you have like two guinea pigs, right?And one dies of old age or you know, something
happens. Do we have some kind of grace period that allows you to get a new one in a specific
amount of time? And if you fail to do so, what'sthe penalty? Stay with me? Good. this next

(02:39):
law, or actually it's not a law per se, buthere in Sweden the state has alcohol monopoly
so the only places allowed to sell alcohol isthe "Systembolaget" as we call it, basically
a store run by the government. Other than thatbars and pubs can you know apply for a license
that allow them to sell alcohol. Here's theweird thing actually, you know when you turn

(03:01):
18 you can visit clubs and buy alcohol butYou can't buy alcohol from "Systembolaget"
before you're 20 years of age, which I thinkis really odd. And even more funny thing is,
by the age of 15, you can actually be prosecutedand convicted for crimes committed. So you're
actually being treated as an adult. But hey,you can't drink! You're only 15, right? Okay,

(03:24):
let's shake things up. Time to talk about cars.So here in Sweden, we actually have laws that
tells us when we need to use winter tires andwhen to use summer tires. So from the beginning
of December to the end of March you need wintertires. And from 16 of April to the end of September
it's forbidden to have winter tires. So youneed to actually have summer tires on. But

(03:46):
there's a twist. So even though we have lawswhen you need to winter or summer tires, it's
actually the condition of the roads that matter.So if there's snow or know it's slippery,
you need to have winter tires. So even if it'sbetween... first December and the last of March
and you should be using winter tires. Althoughif there's no winter condition you can't use

(04:11):
and you can be fined. So my question is whyeven have dates? Let's just make it depend
upon the road condition. Now for a completelydifferent flavor of chaos. Let's talk drugs.
Sweden has had a zero tolerance drugs policysince 1988. In 1988 Sweden criminalized the
use of drugs. Even traces in your blood or urineis a criminal offence. I myself is a firm believer

(04:36):
that I should get to decide what I do with mybody. No law or person should tell me what
I can and cannot do with my body. I'm a grownass man. I work. I pay my taxes. In 2023, the
Swedish government actually pushed for stricterpenalties, not leniency for drug offences.
I mean, come on. Isn't there other importantthings that can be done like chasing murderers,

(04:59):
rapists and thieves? But oh no, the drugs youput in your body are way more important to
pursue. But wait, there's more. Even more funnyis, your employer is actually allowed to drug
test you at the emergency. No reason required. Usually drug tests involves either urine
or saliva, so it doesn't really matter if you'resober at work, since urine and saliva actually

(05:23):
will show you what you have done in the past,not the present. So... I actually think if
employers are supposed to be allowed to drugtest you, it should be blood. Because that
is actually relevant. You shouldn't be showingup at work, you know, high on coke or something,
right? The thing is, sure, when I'm at work,the employer should care what I do and don't

(05:43):
do. But when they aren't paying me, they shouldn'thave nothing to say at all. And on that note,
let's talk about something else. Public SalaryTransparency. Here in Sweden from 1766 up until
now. You can actually look up anyone's taxableincome. Here in Sweden, that is not so odd.
But if you're coming from the States, I presumeyou might find this really odd. I, myself personally,

(06:06):
don't think nobody should know what I make.Don't you think? Now, this next law, I kind
of agree with. In 2019, we actually had a banon face coverings in school. I do think it should
be a school policy not a law though, because,I don't know, I find it odd. However, I think
it's a good thing anyway because People shouldn'tbe covering their faces when they're at school.

(06:28):
And Swedes don't usually do, but I guess it'sbecause of the immigration it's been a problem.
Speaking of that, it's time to change gears.It's time to look at weird laws that died.
Laws that has been active but aren't anymore. So, in 1766 until 1771, there was a masquerade
ban. Dressing up was illegal. Imagine havingsomething like Comic Con back in those days and

(06:52):
get thrown in prison for it. I guess we gotsome coffee drinkers among us right? Who doesn't
like a cup of coffee in the morning? Howeverin 1756 to 1823 King Gustav III actually had
a coffee ban. King Gustav actually made it illegalto consume coffee. Consuming coffee resulted
in a fine. Imagine waking up, going to the kitchenand not have a cup of morning coffee. That

(07:16):
would not be a good start of the morning right?Alright, let's flip the script a little bit.
Do we have any Christians among us here? becausebetween 1726 and 1858 it was illegal to hold
prayer meetings outside the state church. I'mhonestly not sure why it was, but I guess they
wanted control right? It's all about control.Let's keep talking about church and the holy

(07:38):
stuff. I'm not sure from what year, but up until1809 there was mandatory church attendance.
So skipping Sunday service was a crime. I mean,I'm not Christian, but I do believe if I were
a Christian, I would probably go to church everySunday. But you know, making it illegal to
skip? Kinda odd. Now this next one is also kindaholy, I suppose in a way. And one that I personally

(08:02):
do not agree with. Up until 1970, you actually shouldn't be mocking god because we had blasphemy
laws. No free speech in those days, I presume.Let's fast forward to 1956. In 1956, a TV
license fee was required for every householdthat owns a TV. So... Each household with

(08:23):
a TV had to pay around $251 per year. Back in2019 the TV license fee was removed. It was
added onto the tax instead. So every personhas to pay the tax no matter if they have a
TV or not. Now I do think it's a bit odd owninga TV requiring a TV license fee or a tax because
Sweden did not invent the TV. Why the f shouldthey be able to charge for it? And on that

(08:49):
note, let's talk about something else. StatePharmacy Monopoly Between 1970 and 2009 only
state stores could sell medicine such as aspirin.Now we're not talking hard drugs such as oxy.
So honestly I see no reason why that law everexisted to be honest. Anyway let's talk about
school. Up until 1958 teachers could actuallysmack the kids when they weren't behaving.

(09:15):
And I don't condone violence however thesedays teachers can't even touch their arms.
It's really odd. I mean, if a student misbehaves,they can't do nothing basically. What they
usually do is threaten to call their parents,but that's it. Now, this next one may be a
bit sensitive. So close your eyes and hold yourears, because this is gonna get nasty. Ha,

(09:38):
no, he's kidding. Let's talk about the prohibitionof homosexual acts between 1864 and 1944. It
was actually criminal for same-gender sex. andstayed that way until 1944 when it was decriminalized.
Now my philosophy, a straight male, not Christian,but I still do believe that it is a sin to

(10:01):
have same gender sex. I mean come on, God orwhoever made us made man and woman. Kind of
like the battery. The battery has a positiveand negative terminal. You take one of each
and they'll attract. Take two of the same andthey'll repel. I mean you get the point. Alright,
time for me to drop some wisdom. Having lookedat these laws, you know, both past and present,

(10:25):
I kind of get the picture that Sweden triesto make all the decisions for us people. Why
shouldn't people be able to decide what to dowith their body? You know, drugs, alcohol, tobacco.
I mean, you're allowed to drink gasoline, butdamn if you smoke some weed. On to prison it
is. So, next time you sip your Starbucks, dancein your living room, or wash your car at home,

(10:46):
remember Sweden. It could be worse. Have yougot a weird law in your country? Let me know
in the comments. I'm all ears. This was WokeFallout, the place where comfort zones
shatter. I'm Alex, signing off. Stay bold, stayloud, and don't stop questioning.