This study investigates how evidence is used to legitimize different policypositions in the national drug strategies of Sweden and Ireland. In twointerconnected analyses, the study first identifies which policy positions dominateeach strategy, drawing upon ideal types presented by Philip Bean. Secondly, thestudy analyses how evidence is used to legitimize the policy positions. The studyshows that while both policies have tendencies from both prohibitionist and harmreduction approaches, the Swedish strategy is predominantly prohibitionist whilethe Irish policy predominantly shows tendencies of a harm reduction approach. Inthe Irish strategy, evidence is used as empirical background to evaluate previousstrategies and develop new strategies based on identified gaps and challenges,whereas the Swedish policy uses evidence as a normative and discursive tool tolegitimize an already established policy position.