This report on the world’s illicit drugs markets has been produced by an international team... more This report on the world’s illicit drugs markets has been produced by an international team of experts on behalf of the European Commission. The EU Strategy on Drugs 2005-2012 calls for evidence-based policies. The Action Plans on Drugs that the Commission has proposed in its Communications of 2005 and 2008 strongly emphasise this.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use
However they entered the market before there were formal controls, and recalling them or even hea... more However they entered the market before there were formal controls, and recalling them or even heavily controlling access, once they were established as "normal goods" (notwithstanding the title of Babor, Thomas. 2010 Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity), has proven daunting.
This essay examines the variation in relationships between drug market enterprises and organized ... more This essay examines the variation in relationships between drug market enterprises and organized crime across different levels of the market, countries, and drugs (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine). For example, marijuana markets in Europe are generally characterized by small organizations with little connection to any but the broadest concept of organized crime. On the other hand, trafficking of heroin in Tajikistan is dominated by highly structured organized crime groups with strong connections to the political system. It may well be that, without central and effective corrupt government involvement, drug markets are likely to be fragmented and competitive. Organized crime dominance probably reflects more generally the failure of government rather than drug market specific factors.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Special issue guest edited by the UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) Law enforcement to reduce dru... more Special issue guest edited by the UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) Law enforcement to reduce drug harms Copyright for all published material in this journal is held by Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd unless specifically stated otherwise. Authors and illustrators may use their own material elsewhere after publication without permission but Pavilion asks that this note be included in any such use: 'First published in Safer Communities, Volume 8 • Issue 1 • January 2009.' Subscribers may photocopy pages within this journal for their own use without prior permission subject to both of the following conditions: that the page is reproduced in its entirety including the copyright acknowledgements; that the copies are used solely within the organisation that purchased 'close' open street-level markets which affect community confidence, damage neighbourhood reputations and undermine regeneration efforts ! form local partnerships to channel users into treatment and related support ! BEN LYNAM is Head of Communications at the UK Drug Policy Commission.
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961 aimed to eliminate the illicit production and non... more The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961 aimed to eliminate the illicit production and non-medical use of cannabis, cocaine, and opioids, an aim later extended to many pharmaceutical drugs. Over the past 50 years international drug treaties have neither prevented the globalisation of the illicit production and non-medical use of these drugs, nor, outside of developed countries, made these drugs adequately available for medical use. The system has also arguably worsened the human health and wellbeing of drug users by increasing the number of drug users imprisoned, discouraging eff ective countermeasures to the spread of HIV by injecting drug users, and creating an environment conducive to the violation of drug users' human rights. The international system has belatedly accepted measures to reduce the harm from injecting drug use, but national attempts to reduce penalties for drug use while complying with the treaties have often increased the number of drug users involved with the criminal justice system. The international treaties have also constrained national policy experi mentation because they require nation states to criminalise drug use. The adoption of national policies that are more aligned with the risks of diff erent drugs and the eff ectiveness of controls will require the amendment of existing treaties, the formulation of new treaties, or withdrawal of states from existing treaties and re-accession with reservations.
This paper examines how marijuana legalization in California might influence drug-trafficking org... more This paper examines how marijuana legalization in California might influence drug-trafficking organizations' revenues and violence in Mexico.
To reflect on the divergence and overlap between alcohol and illicit drugs with respect to both c... more To reflect on the divergence and overlap between alcohol and illicit drugs with respect to both current policies and policy research. Results For demand reduction, there is considerable overlap in programs and services for prevention and even more clearly for treatment. For supply controls there is mostly divergence, reflecting the difference in legal status. Research generally follows the same pattern. However, a cross-cutting research agenda on the supply side has merit. Conclusion Even in a prohibition regime, law-enforcement agencies have considerable discretion. A systematic, pragmatic, 'evidence-based' use of that discretion to reduce harm is possible. It can be accomplished only by a continuing program of policy research that measures the harms of drug use and drug enforcement, assesses the effects of current policies on both these sources of social cost and explores alternative strategies. There is a similarly important project for alcohol and tobacco control policy. The goal for research on alcohol and tobacco is to document the extent to which supply controls can be effective in reducing harm; the additional goal for illicit drugs is to document just how much the current ideologically driven approach is costing the public.
Executive summary of the National Research Council’s report ‘Informing America’s policy on illegal drugs: what we don’t know keeps hurting us’
Addiction, 2002
How should the war on drugs be fought? Everyone seems to agree that the United States ought to us... more How should the war on drugs be fought? Everyone seems to agree that the United States ought to use a combination of several different approaches to combat the destructive effects of illegal drug use. Yet there is a remarkable paucity of data and research information that policy makers require if they are to create a useful, realistic policy package-details about drug use, drug market economics, and perhaps most importantly the impact of drug enforcement activities. Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs recommends ways to close these gaps in our understanding-by obtaining the necessary data on drug prices and consumption (quantity in addition to frequency); upgrading federal management of drug statistics; and improving our evaluation of prevention, interdiction, enforcement, and treatment efforts. The committee reviews what we do and do not know about illegal drugs and how data are assembled and used by federal agencies. The book explores the data and research information needed to support strong drug policy analysis, describes the best methods to use, explains how to avoid misleading conclusions, and outlines strategies for increasing access to data. Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs also discusses how researchers can incorporate randomization into studies of drug treatment and how state and local agencies can compare alternative approaches to drug enforcement. Charting a course toward a better-informed illegal drugs policy, this book will be important to federal and state policy makers, regulators, researchers, program administrators, enforcement officials, journalists, and advocates concerned about illegal drug use.
Uploads
Papers by Peter Reuter