Sweden- 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.

She said there was strong demand for the products, and their sale in the pharmacies, which Swedes “trust”, would reassure customers.

The products will go on sale in larger stores, “where there are a lot of people and where shoppers will be able to feel anonymous and comfortable.”

The trial will last one year and is to be conducted together with the Swedish Association for Sexual Education (RFSU).

Apoteket is currently the sole provider of prescription and non-prescription medication in Sweden, meaning that Swedes wanting to buy a headache tablet or other over-the-counter products must go to one of Apoteket’s stores.

Sweden’s centre-right government has however announced plans to open up the market to competition.