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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon

Time: 8:51 pm

Results for drug control

131 results found

Author: Rolles, Stephen

Title: After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation

Summary: Heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis, prescription and over-the-counter medicines, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea - we are all people who use drugs. Our refusal to acknowledge this comes from a deep-seated fear that 'we' might become, or be seen as, one of 'them'. What we really need to focus on is the difference between drug use and drug addiction or dependency. Global prohibitionist drug policy continues to focus efforts primarily on the substances alone. This is wrong. Of course, the harms associated with some drugs are worse than others. Sometimes these are due to the degree of addictiveness of a particular drug. But most of the harms are due to the way that a particular drug is acquired (for example, in a dark alley versus from a pharmacy), the way in which it is used (as a pill, for example, versus smoking, snorting or injecting), and, even more importantly, the way in which society treats people who use drugs. The vast majority of the horrific harms associated with drug use-crime, HIV and other blood-borne infections, violence, incarceration, death-are clearly fueled by the prohibitionist drug policies our governments pursue. The use of non-medical drugs, and more importantly the 'War on Drugs' itself, have had a profound influence on the global HIV epidemic over the past 25 years. Today, injecting drug use accounts for 30% of HIV infections worldwide outside of sub-Saharan Africa. In the Eastern Europe/Central Asia region as a whole over 60% of HIV infections are due to injecting drug use. Global normative guidance on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for people who inject drugs emphasises the use of a comprehensive set of evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing the harms associated with drug use. This normative guidance, as endorsed by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, the International AIDS Society and other organisations, is in direct contrast to global drug control policy, as set out in the three major UN drug conventions of 1961, 1971 and 1988. These call for a strict prohibitionist stance on the production, distribution and use of nonmedical drugs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to show that criminalising drugs and drug use has directly and indirectly led to a dramatic increase in drugrelated harms, and that controlling and regulating the production and distribution of all drugs would go a long way towards reducing those harms. So long as we continue to define the drug user as 'other' and define the drug itself as the problem, we will be trapped in our misguided and harm-inducing programmes and policies. 'After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation' lays out, for the first time, a set of practical and pragmatic options for a global regulatory system for non-medical drugs. It comes at a critical time. A number of Latin American governments, including Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Mexico have moved, or are moving, towards decriminalisation of drug possession and are shifting to a public health model to prevent and treat misuse of drugs. They are no longer able to tolerate the damage done to their societies by the War on Drugs. Portugal decriminalised possession of all drugs in 2001. There are signs that the US government, under the new US 'Drug Czar' Gil Kerlikowske, is ready to review its position on the War on Drugs. Given that prohibitionist policy has been dominated by the US, and to some extent Russia, Japan and Sweden, any shifts in US policy could have dramatic effects at the global level. This is not a radical book, nor does it posit radical approaches to global drug policy. In fact, as it points out, the prohibitionist model is the radical approach, in that it is based exclusively on a moral judgment against drug use and drug users and not on an evidence based approach to reducing drug-related harms. Underscoring a century of prohibitionist policy is a deep-seated fear that moving from prohibition to a regulatory approach will lead to a 'free-for-all' situation vis-a-vis drug availability and use. 'Blueprint' outlines clearly that this fear is irrational and that reform of any kind will be vastly superior to the status quo.

Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2009. 232p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: https://www.tdpf.org.uk/sites/default/files/Blueprint.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.tdpf.org.uk/sites/default/files/Blueprint.pdf

Shelf Number: 117126

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Control Policy
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy Reform

Author: Gorvin, Ian

Title: Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United States

Summary: Using 2003 data from 34 states on those newly entering prison because of drug offense convictions, this report documents state by state the dramatically higher proportion and rate at which blacks are sent to prison for drug offenses, compared to whites.

Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2008. 64p.

Source:

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 117802

Keywords:
African Americans
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Imprisonment

Author: International Drug Policy Consortium

Title: Drug Policy Guide

Summary: This drug policy guide aims to provide regional and national partners of the International Drug Policy Consortium with a resource that they can use to conduct reviews of the national drug policies and programs in their areas, and engage with policy-makers to work towards policy and program improvements. The guide will be updated annually to reflect changes in global evidence and experience.

Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2010. 116p.

Source:

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 118081

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: Reuter, Peter

Title: The Unintended Consequences of Drug Policies. Report 5

Summary: This document is the fifth of five reports that assesses changes in global drug problem from 1998 to 2007. It looks specifically into the issues surrounding the unintended consequences of drug policies in consuming nations.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009. 36p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 117657

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation

Author: Atkinson, Alvin L.

Title: A Multi-City Comparative Study of Community Engagement, Mobilization, and Capacity in the Overt Drug Market Elimination Initiative A.K.A. - The High Point Model. Final Report

Summary: The city of Raleigh, North Carolina has been operating an Overt Drug Market Elimination Project under the name of the CHOICE Project(Creating Hope and Opportunities in Communities Everywhere). This report provides a comparative study of five communities that utilized the CHOICE Project. The intent of the study was to identify important lessons learned and insights that would enable the Choice Project to be sustained and replicated in other Raleigh Neighborhoods.

Details: Winston-Salem, NC: Center for Community Safety, Winston-Salem State University, 2008. 16p.

Source:

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 118109

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Markets (North Carolina)

Author: Walsh, John

Title: Lowering Expectations: Supply Control and the Resilient Cocaine Market

Summary: Recent data from the Obama administration show that U.S. cocaine prices continued to fall through 2007, while purity remained high. The data undermined claims by Bush administration officials that supply disruptions had achieved unprecedented cocaine shortages in the United States. This report asserts that the U.S. can and should do more to reduce demand for cocaine, but a dramatic reduction in the size of the lucrative U.S. cocaine market should not be expected any time soon. A realistic and humane drug policy should focus on harm reduction - aiming to minimize the harms caused by illicit drug production, distribution and abuse, but also striving to minimize the damage done by policies meant to control drugs.

Details: Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2009. 10p.

Source:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 117793

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking Control
Drugs

Author: Degenhardt, Louisa

Title: Comparing the Drug Situation Across Countries: Problem, Pitfalls and Possibilities

Summary: This briefing compares the drug situation in a number of developed countries presenting data to provide information for analysts and policy makers for more effective drug control.

Details: London: Beckley Foundation, Drug Policy Programme, 2009. 26p.

Source: Briefing Paper Nineteen

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 116393

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addition
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drugs

Author: Donati, Sandro

Title: Dossier Colombia: Production and Smuggling of Cocaine

Summary: This report on the production and smuggling of cocaine in Colombia calls into question the success of Plan Colombia. It does this by comparing figures and statistics offered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes with those of other field researchers.

Details: Turin, Italy: Flare, 2009. 16p.

Source:

Year: 2009

Country: Colombia

URL:

Shelf Number: 116488

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Smuggling
Drug Trafficking
Plan Colombia

Author: Canada. Department of Justice. Office of Strategic Planning and Performance Measurement. Evaluation Division

Title: National Anti-Drug Strategy Implementation Evaluation: Final Report

Summary: The National Anti-Drug Strategy is a horizontal initiative of 12 federal departments and agencies, led by the Department of Justice Canada. The goal of the strategy is to "contribute to safer and healthier communities through coordinated efforts to prevent use, treat dependency and reduce production and distribution of illicit drugs." This implementation evaluation of the strategy assesses whether the strategy has been implemented as planned. The report summarizes the evaluation findings, draws conclusions, and provides recommendations.

Details: Ottawa: Department of Justice Canada, 2010. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

URL:

Shelf Number: 118765

Keywords:
Drug Abuse Prevention
Drug Control
Drug Policy (Canada)

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: Patterns and trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and other Drugs in East and South-East Asia (and neighborhood regions)

Summary: UNODC launcehd the Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) Programme in September 2008. The Programme seeks to enhance the capacity of Member States and authorities in priority regions, to generate, manage, analyze and report synthetic drug information, and to apply this scientific evidence-based knowledge to design the policies and programmes. The Global SMART Programme is being implemented in a gradual phased manner, with East Asia being the first focus priority region. This annual report is the first regional situation assessment for East and South-East Asia put forward under the Global SMART Programme. If forms one of the first essential key steps, in providing consolidated up-to-date analysis, based on the information shared by the members countries. This report provides an overview of the amphetamine-type stimulants in the region, and outlines several key issues and emerging threats throughout the region and their implications for the neighbouring regions. It also highlights the need for continued and joint efforts, both at the national as well as regional levels.

Details: Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2009. 140p.

Source: Internet Resource; Global SMART Programme

Year: 2009

Country: Asia

URL:

Shelf Number: 117587

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Trafficking
Drugs

Author: Kego, Walter

Title: Countering Narcotics Smuggling in Europe's Eastern Neighborhood

Summary: This report presents the findings from a seminar held in Kiev, Ukraine on November 27-28, 2008. The aim of the seminar was to develop an understanding of criminal trends and activities in the entire region, but also to inquire into what possibilities there are to enhance collaboration in crime prevention in general, and fighting organized trade in narcotics in particular.

Details: Stockholm, Sweden: Institute for Security and Development Policy, 2009. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource; Policy Paper

Year: 2009

Country: Europe

URL:

Shelf Number: 116248

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drugs
Narcotics Smuggling
Organized Crime

Author: Shoaf, Lisa Contos

Title: Evaluation of the Akron Weed and Seed Program 2000-2004

Summary: Operation Weed and Seed is a strategy designed to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug crime, and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods. The strategy consists of two primary components: a weeding strategy designed to weed out individuals contributing to crime in the neighborhood and a seeding strategy that brings services to the neighborhood dedicated to prevention, intervention, treatment and neighborhood revitalization. This study assesses the city of Akron's Weed and Seed program over the last five years of its existence, from 2000 through 2004, with special emphasis on the weeding component of the program.

Details: Columbus, OH: Ohio Office of Criminal Jsutice Services, Statistical Analysis Center, 2005. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2005

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119152

Keywords:
Community Policing
Crime Prevention
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Operation Weed and Seed

Author: Youngers, Coletta A.

Title: Development First: A More Humane and Promising Approach to Reducing Cultivation of Crops for Illicit Markets

Summary: This report lays out a more promising approach to reducing the cultivation of coca and poppy crops used in the production of cocaine and heroin. It is based on improving the welfare of poor farmers via comprehensive development strategies that include improving local governance and citizen security, combined with voluntary reductions in cultivation of crops deviated to the illicit market. Implemented in tandem with effective demand reduction strategies to contain and eventually shrink the global cocaine and heroin markets, the "development first" approach has the potential to gradually achieve sustainable reductions in coca and opium poppy cultivation by reducing poor farmers' reliance on such crops.

Details: Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2009. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 119214

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drugs
Illegal Drugs
Opium
Poverty

Author: Nordeste, Bruno

Title: The Potential Expansion of Methamphetamine Production and Distribution in Canada: A Background Study

Summary: This report presents essential background on the state of the methamphetamine market in Canada and the role of organized crime within it.

Details: Ottawa: Carleton University, Country Indicators for Foreign Policy, 2004. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource; Commission by Criminal Intelligence Service Canada

Year: 2004

Country: Canada

URL:

Shelf Number: 119215

Keywords:
Drug Control
Illegal Drugs
Methamphetamine (Canada)
Organized Crime

Author: Meza, Ricardo Vargas

Title: The Security Approach to the Drugs Problem: Perpetuating Drugs and Conflict in Colombia

Summary: The drugs problem in Colombia is intertwined with structural factors at the social, economic, institutional and cultural levels. Moreover, its relationship to the armed conflict has had serious consequences for the socio-economic conditions of peasant and indigenous communities affected by the production of raw materials used to produce cocaine.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2009. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource; Drug Policy Briefing No. 31

Year: 2009

Country: Colombia

URL:

Shelf Number: 119212

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs

Author: Tinajero, Jorge Hernandez

Title: Mexico: The Law Against Small-Scale Drug Dealing: A Doubtful Venture

Summary: In August 2009, Mexico adopted a new law against small-scale drug dealing, which introduces some significant advances in key subjects, such as the recognizing of and distinguishing between user, drug addict and dealer. However it still has significant flaws in continuing to treat demand and supply of drugs as a criminal and market phenomenon that are likely to undermine its successful application.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2009. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource; Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 3

Year: 2009

Country: Mexico

URL:

Shelf Number: 119232

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking

Author: Reuter, Peter H.

Title: Assessing Changes in Global Drug Problems, 1998-2007: Main Report

Summary: This report provides key findings of the RAND Europe study which assesses how the global market for illicit drugs has developed from 1998 to 2007 and describes worldwide drug policies implemented during that period to address the problem. The study assesses the impact of policy measures, both at the national and sub-national levels, on the illicit drugs problem. To the extent data allows, the project assessed how much policy measures, at the national and sub-national levels, have influenced drug problems. The analysis is focused on policy relevant matters but it does not attempt to make recommendations to governments. The evidence suggests that illicit drugs presented as much of a problem in 2007 as in 1998. Broadly speaking, while the situation may have improved slightly in some of the world's richer countries, it has substantially worsened in others, which include a few large developing or transitional countries.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009. 68p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 117653

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation
Drug Trafficking
Illegal Drugs

Author: Willis, Henry H.

Title: Measuring the Effectiveness of Border Security Between Ports-of-Entry

Summary: "This report offers research and recommendations on ways to measure the overall efforts of the national border-security enterprise between ports of entry. To be meaningful, the set of measures for effectiveness of border security should be sound, reliable, useful, and general. Three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) missions appear to currently be of special interest to DHS leadership because they are especially problematic: illegal drug control, counterterrorism, and illegal migration. The report recommends measuring performance of three fundamental functions that border-security efforts contribute to achieving national policy objectives: interdiction, deterrence, and exploiting networked intelligence. If the steps described here are taken, DHS and its components will be in a better position to discuss past performance and to provide reasoned justifications for future allocation of resources. Further, they will be able to relate their efforts to those of other agencies in pursuit of national objectives."

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2010.

Source: Internet Resource; Technical Report

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119332

Keywords:
Border Security
Counterterrorism
Drug Control
Illegal Drugs
Illegal Immigration

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee

Title: The Cocaine Trade: Seventh Reprot of Session 2009-10

Summary: This report examines the trends in cocaine use in the U.K. and the progress to date in tackling the cocaine trade in terms of reducing both supply and demand.

Details: London: Stationery Office, 2010. 2 v.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL:

Shelf Number: 117866

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Abuse and Addition
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs

Author: Reuter, Peter H.

Title: Assessing the Operation of the Global Drug Market

Summary: Illicit drugs, predominantly cocaine and heroin, now generate a substantial international and domestic trade. For these two drugs, production is concentrated in poor nations and the bulk of revenues, though not of consumption, is generated by users in wealthy countries. Earnings have an odd shape; most of the money goes to a very large number of low level retailers in wealthy countries while the fortunes are made by a small number of entrepreneurs, many of whom come from the producing countries. Actual producers and refiners receive one or two percent of the total; almost all the rest is payment for distribution labour. The industry is in general competitive, though some sectors in some countries have small numbers of competing organizations. While it is not difficult to explain why cocaine and heroin production occurs primarily in poor countries and only a little harder to understand why the accounting profits are downstream, almost everything else about the trade presents a challenge, both descriptively and analytically. This report is an attempt to address these challenges and reviews what is known about the operation of these various markets. It offers a theoretical account for a number of the features.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource; Report 1

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 117654

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drugs and Narcotics Control
Heroin
Illicit Drugs

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Independent Evaluation Unit

Title: Thematic Evaluation of Counter-Narcotics Enforcement in Central Asia

Summary: The programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Central Asia covers Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Counter-narcotics enforcement (CNE) is by far the largest operation and is considered strategically important to the region. CNE projects with varying objectives account for 85 per cent of the region’s total portfolio and have been allocated a combined budget of about US$ 40 million. CNE projects are ongoing operations that are expected to remain a primary area of intervention for UNODC in Central Asia in the future. The present thematic evaluation aims to assess UNODC activities in the region by establishing what the Office has achieved to date under the CNE objective and to identify lessons learned and best practices to improve future operations.

Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2007. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2007

Country: Asia

URL:

Shelf Number: 115737

Keywords:
Drub Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drugs
Narcotics

Author: Arizona. Attorney General's Office

Title: Addressing the Meth Crisis in Arizona: Arizona Methamphetamine Conference Report 2006

Summary: This report presents the findings from a conference held on Februay 13 & 14, 2006, which addressed the issue of methamphetamine abuse in Arizona, and includes reommendations about the impact of methamphetamine and what is working nationwide in the areas of prvention, treatment and law enforcement.

Details: Phoenix: Attorney General's Office, 2006. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119280

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Treatment
Methamphetamine (Arizona)
Narcotics

Author: Mansfield, David

Title: An Analysis of Licit Opium Poppy Cultivation: India and Turkey

Summary: For most of the 20th Century, morphine and codeine have been used for the relief of pain, suppressing coughs, and treating diarrhoea. Indeed, in the last thirty years both opiates have been recommended by the World Health Organisation as essential therapeutic tools with a wide range of medical applications and, more recently, in the treatment of cancer-related pain. Consequently, over the last twenty years the demand for opiate raw materials has increased significantly. However, mirroring this increase in the demand for opiates for legitimate medical and scientific needs has been an increasing concern over the illegal use of opiates, from smoking and eating opium in the 19th Century to smoking and injecting heroin in the late part of the 20th Century. The challenge for the international community has been to establish a regulatory system that ensures that the legitimate medical and scientific needs for opiates are met, whilst preventing diversion to illicit markets. This report seeks to assess the scale and nature of any potential diversion from the licit trade through a comparative analysis of the different processes and controls applied in two source countries, India and Turkey. It compares the different regulatory and control mechanisms that are applied in each of these countries and identifies lessons learned and ‘best practice’ in the cultivation, production and regulatory mechanisms for licit opium poppy.

Details: Unpublished report, 2001. 54p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 13, 2018 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266277621_AN_ANALYSIS_OF_LICIT_OPIUM_POPPY_CULTIVATION_INDIA_AND_TURKEY

Year: 2001

Country: Asia

URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266277621_AN_ANALYSIS_OF_LICIT_OPIUM_POPPY_CULTIVATION_INDIA_AND_TURKEY

Shelf Number: 116674

Keywords:
Drug Control
Narcotics
Opium
Poppy Cultivation

Author: Seelke, Clare Ribando

Title: Latin America and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and U.S. Counterdrug Programs

Summary: Drug trafficking is viewed as a primary threat to citizen security and U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean despite decades of anti-drug efforts by the United States and partner governments. The production and trafficking of popular illicit drugs—cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and methamphetamine—generates a multi-billion dollar black market in which Latin American criminal and terrorist organizations thrive. These groups challenge state authority in source and transit countries where governments are often fragile and easily corrupted. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) largely control the U.S. illicit drug market and have been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as the “greatest organized crime threat to the United States.” Drug trafficking-related crime and violence in the region has escalated in recent years, raising the drug issue to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy concerns. This report provides an overview of the drug flows in the Americas and U.S. antidrug assistance programs in the region. It also raises some policy issues for Congress to consider as it exercises oversight of U.S. antidrug programs and policies in the Western Hemisphere.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2010. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource; CRS Report for Congress

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119439

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking (Latin America)
Organized Crime

Author: Sabin, Mike

Title: Solutions to the Methamphetamine Crisis in New Zealand: A Study of Supply and Demand-Side Interventions and their Efficacy

Summary: Methamphetamine, now second only to cannabis for illicit drug use rates in New Zealand, is commonly smoked, injected, snorted and ingested orally, causing a rapid progression to addiction. Chronic use of the drug often leads to anti-social, violent behaviour and serious mental illness. The purity of methamphetamine is linked to the degree of associated harm, increases of criminal offending and adverse socio-economic consequences. Recent surveys of social and criminal trends links methamphetamine with increasing prison populations, court cases and social costs, with $551 million worth of loss within New Zealand thought to be caused by the drug in 2006; more than any other drug. In analysing ‘what works and what doesn’t’ on the global stage, in particular within the United States, it is clear that New Zealand’s national drug policy of the last 10 years which focuses on harm minimisation, has been, and will continue to fail. Alongside this, with the limited efficacy of the supply-side interventions enacted in New Zealand in the early 2000s, the precursor and chemical diversion schemes are in need of overhauling. It is clear that there is no-one-silver bullet, but it is apparent that in the absence of successful demand reduction Police and Customs will be largely ineffective at tackling the subsequent supply. It is apparent that in the absence of so many of the interventions being employed successfully elsewhere, New Zealand has limited opportunities or likelihood of resolving the methamphetamine crisis. Conversely this study has identified a range of strategies with proven efficacy which if actioned effectively have the potential to bring about rapid change in this country. These strategies include overhauling the national drug policy and abandoning the focus on harm minimisation in favour of an approach based on harm elimination, which encourages citizens, in particular youth, to reject drug use. The establishment of a national drug control policy office which accounts directly to the Prime Minister and ensures administration and accountability of all drug policy objectives and outcomes across all ministries. A refocus of policing priorities toward organised criminal entities and improved powers and legislation to address precursor supply and disrupt criminal markets. The implementation of drug treatment courts and widespread, accessible treatment, alongside effective education and screening intervention. And the introduction of coordinated and concerted youth education and screening programmes, which utilise random student drug testing, and a focus on encouraging youth attitudes and behaviours which reject drug use.

Details: Mongonui, New Zealand: MethCon Group Limited, 2008. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2008

Country: New Zealand

URL:

Shelf Number: 119468

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Reform
Methamphetamine
Organized Crime

Author: Walser, Ray

Title: Mexico, Drug Cartels, and the Merida Initiative: A Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose

Summary: Since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006, a virulent war has raged with the Mexican drug cartels, and this drug-related violence has spilled across the U.S. border, threatening U.S. lives and public safety. Geostrategic pessimists fear that the U.S. has been taking Mexico's stability for granted and warn that Mexico is teetering on the brink of a drug-induced disaster. However, the seriousness of the drug threat to Mexico also presents a strategic opportunity. At the invitation of the Mexican government, the Bush Administration is working to establish a partnership to make Mexico safer and more secure without sacrificing the sovereignty of either nation. The Bush Administration's Merida Initiative—a three-year, $1.5 billion anti-drug assistance package for Mexico and Central America—is a quantitative and qualitative jump in support for the drug fight in the region. Unlike Plan Colombia, which helped to rescue Colombia from the throes of a narco-war, the Merida Initiative will provide assistance in equipment, technology, and training without a significant U.S. military footprint in Mexico. President George W. Bush signed the Merida Initiative into law as part of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 on June 30, 2008. In Mexico and in the press, the Merida Initiative is being viewed as a critical test of U.S.–Mexican relations. Its implementation will be closely scrutinized on both sides of the aisle in Congress. The Merida Initiative could become an important legacy of the Bush presidency in the Western Hemisphere and should create a solid platform for U.S.–Mexican cooperation for the next Administration. The initiative, however, is just a start. The U.S. needs to do more to secure the border, reduce the flows of illegal arms and illicit cash south into Mexico, and alter immigration laws to permit temporary workers to cross the border legally to help fill the U.S. demand for labor. Policymakers need to develop a comprehensive strategy that covers all transit and source countries. Mexico needs to continue exercising the political will to combat the deadly drug cartels and continue reforming its judicial system, overhauling police and law enforcement, and modernizing and developing its economy. Finally, the Mexican government needs to take an active role in preventing illegal third-country nationals from transiting Mexican territory, as well as in closing down smuggling organizations that operate on Mexican soil and discouraging Mexican citizens from entering the U.S. illegally. Both nations would benefit substantially from a return to law and order on both sides of the border.

Details: Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation, 2008. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource; Backgrounder, No. 2163

Year: 2008

Country: Mexico

URL:

Shelf Number: 119542

Keywords:
Drug Cartels (Mexico)
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
Violence

Author: Jelsma, Martin

Title: Legislative Innovation in Drug Policy

Summary: This briefing summarizes good practices in legislative reforms around the world, representing steps away from a repressive zero-tolerance model towards a more evidence-based and humane drug policy. The examples provide lessons learned in practice about less punitive approaches and their impact on levels of drug use and drug related harm to the individual and society. Evidence suggests that legislation lessening criminalization combined with shifting resources from law enforcement and incarceration to prevention, treatment and harm reduction is more effective in reducing drug-related problems. Fears that softening drug laws and their enforcement would lead to sharp increases in drug use, have proven untrue. The examples cited, in spite of their differences in scope and objectives, can be regarded as improvements on an ineffective overly repressive drug control model and they indicate a direction for more substantial reform and paradigm shifts in the future.

Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Latin American Initiative on Drugs and Democracy, 2009. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 119553

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: Burnet Institute

Title: Situational Analysis of Drug and Alcohol Issues and Responses in the Pacific 2008-09

Summary: This situational analysis focuses on the Pacific region, including both licit and illicit drug use. The assessment recognises the risks for drug-related crime as identified by international and regional law enforcement agencies for more than a decade. Information collected by enforcement organisations and networks suggests that illicit drugs are becoming an increasing concern in the region. More importantly, health and other community services have begun to highlight the social and economic costs of high levels of alcohol use as an area of increasing concern. The report provides considers recommendations for framing appropriate responses coordinated at the regional level, via regional and international coordinating mechanisms and donors.

Details: Canberra: Australian National Council on Drugs, 2010. 275p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 119557

Keywords:
Alcohol Abuse
Drug Abuse
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs (Pacific Area)

Author: U.S. Department of State. Office of Inspector General

Title: Status of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Counternarcotics Programs in Afghanistan: Performance Audit

Summary: Afghanistan remains the world’s largest grower of opium poppy, the source of over 90 percent of illicit global opium. The narcotics industry continues to fuel the insurgency, undermining efforts to assure security, extend governance, and develop the legal economy in Afghanistan. The Middle East Regional Office (MERO) of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated this performance audit under the authority of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. The objectives of this audit were to determine: (1) the Department’s counternarcotics strategy objectives and the impediments to achieving these objectives; (2) how well the Department is administering the program and monitoring contractor performance; and (3) whether the Department and the Embassy are effectively coordinating their efforts in Afghanistan with other agencies, U.S. and coalition military forces, and with Embassy Islamabad.

Details: Washington, DC: United States Department of State, 2009. 63p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 10, 2010 at http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/134183.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/134183.pdf

Shelf Number: 117826

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking (Afghanistan)
Opium Trade

Author: Brombacher, Daniel

Title: Cocaine Trafficking to Europe: Options of Supply Control

Summary: In 2008, approximately 850 tons of pure cocaine were produced from the coca leaves harvested in the Andean region. About 250 tons of cocaine were imported into Europe in 2008, with an estimated 20 tons reaching the Federal Republic of Germany. This report examines the supply control measures in the Andean drug producing countries and concludes that they have no effect on cocaine consumption in Europe.

Details: Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik/German Institute for International and Security Affairs, 2009. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource; SWP Research Paper, RP10; Accessed August 10, 2010 at http://www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=6361

Year: 2009

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=6361

Shelf Number: 116301

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Abuse and Addiction (Germany)
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking (Afghanistan)

Author: Reuter, Peter

Title: A Report on Global Illicit Drugs Markets, 1998-2007

Summary: "This document provides the key findings of a project assessing how the global market for drugs developed from 1998 to 2007 and describing drug policy around the globe during that period. To the extent data allows, the project assessed how much policy measures, at the national and sub-national levels, have influenced drug problems. The analysis is focused on policy relevant matters but it does not attempt to make recommendations to governments."

Details: Brussels: European Communities, 2009p. 74p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 17, 2010 at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/drugs/studies/doc/report_short_10_03_09_en.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL: http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/drugs/studies/doc/report_short_10_03_09_en.pdf

Shelf Number: 113912

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy

Author: U.S. General Accounting Office

Title: Drug Control: DOD Needs to Improve Its Performance Measurement System to Better Manage and Oversee Its Counternarcotics Activities

Summary: The Department of Defense (DOD) leads detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs into the United States in support of law enforcement agencies. DOD reported resources of more than $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2010 to support its counternarcotics activities. Congress mandated GAO report on DOD’s counternarcotics performance measurement system. Specifically, this report addresses the extent to which (1) DOD’s counternarcotics performance measurement system enables DOD to track progress and (2) DOD uses performance information from its counternarcotics performance measurement system to manage its activities. GAO analyzed relevant DOD performance and budget documents, and discussed these efforts with officials from DOD and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense take steps to improve DOD’s counternarcotics performance measurement system by (1) revising its performance measures and (2) applying practices to better facilitate the use of performance data to manage its counternarcotics activities. DOD concurred with GAO’s recommendations.

Details: Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office, 2010. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10835.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10835.pdf

Shelf Number: 118806

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Trafficking
Illegal Drugs (U.S.)

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Merida Initiative: The United States Has Provided Counternarcotics and Anticrime Support but Needs Better Performance Measures

Summary: Crime and violence related to drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America have increased in recent years and pose a threat not only to those areas but to the United States as well, particularly along the Southwest border. The Mérida Initiative, announced in 2007, provides about $1.6 billion in law enforcement support to Mexico and Central American countries. The Department of State (State) manages the Initiative while other U.S. agencies play key roles in implementation. This report examines: (1) the status of Mérida program implementation; (2) State's strategy for implementation; and (3) coordination mechanisms in place for Mérida. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed agency documents; interviewed officials at State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies; and conducted fieldwork in Mexico and Central America. GAO recommends that the Secretary of State incorporate into the strategy for the Mérida Initiative outcome performance measures that indicate progress toward strategic goals and develop more comprehensive timelines for future program deliveries. State agreed with the recommendations.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2010. 53p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10837.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10837.pdf

Shelf Number: 119629

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Law Enforcement
Drug Trafficking

Author: Japan. National Police Agency. Drugs and Firearms Division

Title: Drug Control in Japan 2009

Summary: This report provides an overview of the drug situation in Japan, including laws to control abused drugs.

Details: Tokyo: National Police Agency, 2009. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2010 at: http://www.npa.go.jp/english/yakujyu/Drug%20Control%20in%20Japan%202009.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Japan

URL: http://www.npa.go.jp/english/yakujyu/Drug%20Control%20in%20Japan%202009.pdf

Shelf Number: 119805

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drugs
Drugs and Crime
Organized Crime

Author: Harvey, Lynn K.

Title: The New Hope Initiative: A Collaborative Approach to Closing an Open-air Drug Market and a Blueprint for Other Communities

Summary: This report describes a collaborative community-based approach used to shut down open-air drug markets. It documents the logic, the process and consequences of applying this approach in Winston-Salem, NC. The case study is intended to provide other communities with the basic guidelines for implementing similar strategies in a locally relevant and appropriate way.

Details: Winston-Salem, NC: Department of Social Sciences and Center for Community Safety, Winston-Salem State University, 2005. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 11, 2010 at: http://www.wssu.edu/NR/rdonlyres/1BF7A584-539A-41A6-B860-94EED7C3FD2C/0/NewHopeBluePrint.pdf

Year: 2005

Country: United States

URL: http://www.wssu.edu/NR/rdonlyres/1BF7A584-539A-41A6-B860-94EED7C3FD2C/0/NewHopeBluePrint.pdf

Shelf Number: 118557

Keywords:
Community Participation
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Open-Air Drug Markets

Author: Kilmer, Beau

Title: Reducing Drug Trafficking Revenues and Violence in Mexico: Would Legalizing Marijuana in California Help?

Summary: U.S. demand for illicit drugs creates markets for Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and helps foster violence in Mexico. This paper examines how marijuana legalization in California might influence DTO revenues and the violence in Mexico. Key findings include: 1) Mexican DTOs' gross revenues from illegally exporting marijuana to wholesalers in the United States is likely less than $2 billion; 2) The claim that 60 percent of Mexican DTO gross drug export revenues come from marijuana should not be taken seriously; 3) If legalization only affects revenues from supplying marijuana to California, DTO drug export revenue losses would be very small, perhaps 2–4 percent; 4) The only way legalizing marijuana in California would significantly influence DTO revenues and the related violence is if California-produced marijuana is smuggled to other states at prices that outcompete current Mexican supplies. The extent of such smuggling will depend on a number of factors, including the response of the U.S. federal government. 5) If marijuana is smuggled from California to other states, it could undercut sales of Mexican marijuana in much of the U.S., cutting DTOs' marijuana export revenues by more than 65 percent and probably by 85 percent or more. In this scenario, the DTOs would lose approximately 20% of their total drug export revenues.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2010. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2010 at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2010/RAND_OP325.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Mexico

URL: http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2010/RAND_OP325.pdf

Shelf Number: 119939

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
Marijuana
Violence

Author: Wood, Evan

Title: Tools for Debate: US Federal Government Data on Cannabis Prohibition

Summary: Several initiatives in the state of California, including Bill 2254 and the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis proposition, have fuelled the international discussion about the known impacts of cannabis prohibition and the potential impacts of a regulated (i.e., legal) market. Surprisingly, to date, an impact assessment of cannabis prohibition based on data derived through US federal government surveillance systems has been largely absent from this debate. Drawing upon cannabis surveillance systems funded by the US government, this report summarizes information about the impacts of US cannabis prohibition on cannabis seizures and arrests. The report also tests the assumption that increased funding for the enforcement of cannabis prohibition and subsequent increased seizures and arrests reduce cannabis-related harms, by evaluating US federally funded surveillance systems examining cannabis potency, price, availability and rates of use.

Details: Vancouver, Canada: International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, 2010. 25p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 29, 2010 at: http://www.icsdp.org/docs/ICSDP-2.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.icsdp.org/docs/ICSDP-2.pdf

Shelf Number: 120117

Keywords:
Cannabis
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Prohibition
Marijuana

Author: Melis, Martina

Title: Drug Policy and Development: How Action Against Illicit Drugs Impacts on the Millennium Development Goals

Summary: It is now widely accepted that current drug control strategies have had limited success in reducing the overall scale of the illicit drug market, and have led to significant unintended consequences, that have impacted adversely on a range of areas of international cooperation. The tensions between drug control strategies and, for example, the prevention of HIV or the protection of human rights, are well documented. This briefing paper highlights similar tensions between the concerns and objectives of the development community, and the objectives and strategies implemented in the name of drug control. UN agencies and member states have made some progress in recent years in addressing these tensions, but there is a long way to go to find an integrated approach to drug control that maximises the protection of health and human rights, and the promotion of social and economic development. The UN Development Programme, and most development NGOs, have been largely absent from this debate, but could be making a significant contribution to the elaboration and implementation of more effective drug policies and strategies. Illicit drugs impact on development in a number of ways. Drug use contributes to diminished health, leading to higher healthcare costs and decreased earning at the population level. This is most noticeable in the area of HIV/AIDS where the sharing of needles not only spreads HIV infection among people who inject drugs but also serves to fuel the broader spread of the epidemic. Involvement in the illicit drugs market diverts people and resources from licit recorded economic activities. The huge profits associated with the drug market foster organised crime and corruption, which in turn inhibit the development of good governance. Environmental degradation resulting from the cultivation and refinement of naturally derived drugs is also being increasingly documented.

Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2010. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accesssed October 28, 2010 at: http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/Drug%20policy%20and%20development%20briefing.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/Drug%20policy%20and%20development%20briefing.pdf

Shelf Number: 120118

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Illicit Drug Markets

Author: Mansfield, David

Title: Development in a Drugs Environment: A Strategic Approach to 'Alternative Development'

Summary: Whichever way we look at it Alternative Development is at a crossroads: there is confusion over language and terms, concerns over the technical capacity of implementing bodies, and the growing view that the attribution of both drug control and development outcomes to alternative development projects remains opaque. The result is funding for alternative development projects continues to fall. There are certainly many in the wider development community who question how alternative development differs from conventional rural development and whether the inclusion of key cross cutting issues such as poverty, gender, the environment and conflict have actually manifested in improvements in the lives and livelihoods of primary stakeholders. Without more robust evidence of the impact of these programmes on both human development indicators and illicit drug crop cultivation, as well as improved confidence in the effectiveness of those bodies that have traditionally designed and implemented alternative development programmes, it is unlikely that levels of funding for the kind of discrete area based alternative development projects of the past will actually recover. More recently in Afghanistan, and increasingly in other source countries in Asia, the term ‘alternative development’ has been substituted with ‘Alternative Livelihoods’ with little recognition of the conceptual and operational differences. Elsewhere terms such as ‘Sustainable Alternative Livelihoods’ and indeed ‘Sustainable Livelihoods’ itself are sneaking into the rubric of drug control agencies as they search for a common language and legitimacy with the development community. Even the term ‘Alternative Development’ still means ‘many things to many people’. For those whose performance is measured simply in terms of reductions in the amount of opium poppy and coca grown, alternative development is seen as simply as the ‘carrot’ to the eradication ‘stick’, and the provision of development assistance is contingent on reductions in illicit drug crop cultivation. For others, reductions in illicit drug crop cultivation are an externality of a development process (that includes extending good governance and the rule of law) aimed at achieving sustainable improvements in lives and livelihoods. In terms of both process and the primary goal there is still much disagreement with regard to alternative development. However, there is a danger of ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’. Alternative development projects have achieved both development and drug control outcomes in specific geographical areas where more conventional development agencies are often not even present, despite the prevailing levels of poverty and conflict. For those who have experienced the low levels of literacy, high incidence of food insecurity, infant mortality and malnutrition that typically exist in illicit drug crop producing areas, as well as the lack of governance and prevailing levels of violence and intimidation from both state and non-state actors, arguments about the relatively high income of opium poppy and coca growing households seems rather inappropriate and ill informed. To this group the subsequent improvements in the income and quality of life of communities that often accompany alternative development projects at the same time as levels of opium poppy or coca cultivation fall are obvious, even if they might have been documented better or achieved more cost effectively. Given the concentration of illicit drug crops in marginal areas where weak governance, conflict and poverty prevail it is clear that the current impasse on the role of the development community in improving the lives and livelihoods of those residing in illicit drug crop producing areas has to be overcome so that both development and drug control communities can meet their different but interrelated objectives. Yet, there is a need to recognise that greater engagement by the development community will not be achieved by launching a new marketing campaign and trying to sell what is already considered a faulty product more effectively, or simply tinkering with the name in the hope that non one notices the ‘alternative development’ product has actually passed its ‘sell-by-date’. Instead, there is a need for the proponents of alternative development to learn from the wider development community in terms of conceptual frameworks, understanding the nature of change in rural livelihoods, and in particular, to recognise that the more traditional project type intervention has its limitations and that a wider-sectoral approach is required to build an enabling policy environment for development efforts to have make a real impact. At the same time, there is a need for the development community to move way from what can be a rather unsophisticated and outdated model of the ‘profit maximising illicit drug farmer’ and further its understanding of the complex role that illicit drug crops play in the livelihoods of the rural poor. This Discussion paper is aimed at promoting just such an understanding between both communities. Indeed, it is targeted at a wider development community that has often been at best suspicious of the illicit drug issues and a drug control community that has often proved insular and unable to draw on the lessons learned from the implementation of more conventional rural development interventions over the last decade. The paper is intended to provoke both communities into a more constructive dialogue: a dialogue that is aimed more at developing a deeper understanding of the considerable overlap between drug control and development agendas; and that promotes partnership – no longer based on the distinct and rather artificial discipline of ‘alternative development’ in which neither development nor drug control community have ownership – but based on agreed principles of integrating an analysis of the causes of illicit drug crop cultivation into conventional development programmes, a common understanding of how development outcomes can translate into drug control achievements, and an ethos of doing ‘development in a drugs environment’.

Details: Eschborn/Germany: Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), 2006. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2010 at: http://www.davidmansfield.org/data/Alternative_Development/GTZ/strategic_approach.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.davidmansfield.org/data/Alternative_Development/GTZ/strategic_approach.pdf

Shelf Number: 120269

Keywords:
Drug Control
Narcotics
Opium
Poppy Cultivation

Author: Hall, Wayne

Title: Legally Coerced Treatment for Drug Using Offenders: Ethical and Policy Issues

Summary: This bulletin discusses the policy and ethical implications raised by legally coercing drug offenders into drug treatment in the community and providing compulsory treatment within the prison system. The bulletin briefly summarises the case for legally coerced drug treatment, describes the different approaches that have been used to implement it, discusses the ethical issues raised by different types of legally coerced drug treatment, and summarises the evidence on the effectiveness of community-based drug treatment with and without legal coercion. The case for, and evidence on, the effectiveness of providing voluntary drug treatment in prisons is then considered. Finally, in the light of the evidence reviewed, the bulletin discusses the NSW Compulsory Drug Treatment Corrections Centre and the challenges in evaluating its effectiveness.

Details: Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2010. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice, No. 144: Accessed November 29, 2010 at: http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/CJB144.pdf/$file/CJB144.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/CJB144.pdf/$file/CJB144.pdf

Shelf Number: 120301

Keywords:
Drug Abuse Treatment
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Substance Abuse Treatment

Author: Transnational Institute

Title: Alternative Development or Business as Usual? China's Opium Substitution Policy in Burma and Laos

Summary: A significant part of opium and its derivative heroin on the market in China originates from the ‘Golden Triangle’ – roughly the area that spans northern Burma, Thailand and Laos. It supplies a large number of injecting drugs users in China, and is considered a major security concern by the Chinese authorities. To counter this threat, the Chinese government have launched opium substitution programmes in northern Burma and Laos. The schemes, promoting agricultural investments by Chinese companies, have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. They include large-scale rubber plantations and other crops such as sugarcane, tea and corn. Serious concerns arise regarding the longterm economic benefits and costs of rubber development for poor upland villagers. Although some economic benefits are derived from rubber development, the villagers enjoying these new resource revenue streams are not the poorest. Wealthier farmers with savings and better social networks can more easily tap benefits; hence socio-economic gaps are developing in the communities. Without access to capital and land to become involved in rubber concessions, upland farmers practicing swidden cultivation (many of whom are (ex-) poppy growers) have few alternatives but to work as wage labourers on agricultural concessions. They are forced to accede to government relocation programmes or to economic factors, as they have no other means of income. Conclusions and recommendations: The huge increase in Chinese agricultural concessions in Burma and Laos is driven by China’s opium crop substitution programme, offering subsidies and tax waivers for Chinese companies; China’s focus is on integrating the local economy of the border regions of Burma and Laos into the regional market through bilateral relations with government and military authorities across the border; In Burma large-scale rubber concessions is the only method operating. Initially informal smallholder arrangements were the dominant form of cultivation in Laos, but the topdown coercive model is gaining prevalence; The poorest of the poor, including many (ex-) poppy farmers, benefit least from these investments. They are losing access to land and forest, being forcibly relocated to the lowlands, left with few viable options for survival; New forms of conflict are arising from Chinese large-scale investments abroad. Related land dispossession has wide implications on drug production and trade, as well as border stability; and Investments related to opium substitution plans should be carried out in a more sustainable, transparent, accountable and equitable fashion with a community-based approach. They should respect traditional land rights and communities’ customs.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2010. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Drug Policy Briefing No. 33: Accessed December 1, 2010 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief33.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief33.pdf

Shelf Number: 120333

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Opium

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Afghanistan Drug Control: Strategy Evolving and Progress Reported, but Interim Performance Targets and Evaluation of Justice Reform Efforts Needed

Summary: The illicit drug trade remains a challenge to the overall U.S. counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan. Afghanistan produces over 90 percent of the world's opium, which competes with the country's licit agriculture industry, provides funds to insurgents, and fuels corruption in Afghanistan. Since 2005, the United States has allotted over $2 billion to stem the production, consumption, and trafficking of illicit drugs while building the Afghan government's capacity to conduct counternarcotics activities on its own. In this report, GAO (1) examines how the U.S. counternarcotics strategy in Afghanistan has changed; (2) assesses progress made and challenges faced within the elimination/eradication, interdiction, justice reform, public information, and drug demand reduction program areas; and (3) assesses U.S. agencies' monitoring and evaluation efforts. To address these objectives, GAO obtained pertinent program documents and interviewed relevant U.S. and Afghan officials. GAO has prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative. The U.S. counternarcotics strategy has changed emphasis across program areas over time to align with the overarching counterinsurgency campaign. The 2005 U.S. counternarcotics strategy focused on five program areas: elimination/eradication, interdiction, justice reform, public information, and alternative livelihoods. Since then, U.S. Department of Defense (Defense) policy and rules of engagement were changed to allow greater military involvement in Afghanistan counternarcotics efforts due to the ties between traffickers and insurgents. Furthermore, the U.S. counternarcotics strategy has shifted to align more closely with counterinsurgency efforts by de-emphasizing eradication, focusing more on interdiction efforts, and increasing agricultural assistance. The United States' use of total poppy cultivation as a primary measure of overall counternarcotics success has limitations in that it does not capture all aspects of U.S. counternarcotics efforts. In recognition of this, the administration is attempting to develop measures that better capture overall counternarcotics success. U.S. agencies have reported progress within counternarcotics program areas, but GAO was unable to fully assess the extent of progress due to a lack of performance measures and interim performance targets to measure Afghan capacity, which are a best practice for performance management. For example, although Defense is training Afghan pilots to fly interdiction missions on their own, this program lacks interim performance targets to judge incremental progress. Furthermore, a lack of security, political will, and Afghan government capacity have challenged some counternarcotics efforts. For example, eradication and public information efforts have been constrained by poor security, particularly in insurgency-dominated provinces. In addition, other challenges affect specific program areas. For example, drug abuse and addiction are prevalent among the Afghan National Police. Monitoring and evaluation are key components of effective program management. Monitoring is essential to ensuring that programs are implemented as intended, and routine evaluation helps program managers make judgments, improve effectiveness, and inform decisions about current and future programming. U.S. agencies in all counternarcotics areas have monitored program progress through direct U.S. agency oversight, contractor reporting, and/or third-party verification. For example, eradication figures were routinely reported by U.S. Department of State (State) officials and contractors, and verified by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime monitors. U.S. agencies also conducted and documented program evaluations to improve effectiveness in the elimination/eradication, interdiction, and public information program areas. However, State has not formally documented evaluations of its justice reform program.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2010. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-10-291: Accessed December 14, 2010 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10291.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Afghanistan

URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10291.pdf

Shelf Number: 120492

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs
Illegal Drug Trade (Afghanistan)
Narcotics

Author: Kent, Stephen G.

Title: Combat Drug Zone 2010: The United States Southwest Border

Summary: Globalization and associated domestic variables such as the economy, energy, weapons proliferation, environmental issues and terrorism, dominate today’s discussions, and resulting priorities. While a majority of Americans can readily identify with the everyday realities and stressors of life, few are cognizant of the looming crisis of narco trafficking. Given the proximity of the major friction points, spill over effects and regional security implications are increasingly amplified which potentially affect every citizen and the security of the nation. This analysis illustrates the precipitating factors contributing to the rise in drug trafficking, discussion on the multiple second and third order effects and an examination on policy alternatives for the U.S. Government. Statistics and experience illustrates that previous and current U.S. policies have not created the desired effect on narco trafficking. Considering the security environment post 9-11, increased counter drug budgets, the illicit drug trade is flourishing requiring radically new strategies. The Mexican Border drug epidemic arguably requires urgent and careful action by the U.S. Government.

Details: Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, 2010. 22p.

Source: Internet Resource: Strategy Research Project: Accessed December 14, 2010 at: http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA518085&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA518085&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Shelf Number: 120497

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Illicit Drugs

Author: Transnational Institute

Title: Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America

Summary: A comparative study on the impact of drug policies on the prison systems of eight Latin American countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay – reveals that drug laws have contributed to the prison crises these countries are experiencing. The drug laws impose penalties disproportionate to many of the drug offenses committed, do not give sufficient consideration to the use of alternative sanctions, and promote the excessive use of preventive detention. The study found that the persons who are incarcerated for drug offenses tend to be individuals caught with small amounts of drugs, often users, as well as street-level dealers. Specifically, the study finds that most of the persons imprisoned for drugs are not high- or medium-level drug traffickers, but rather occupy the lowest links in the chain. According to the report, these laws have overcrowded the prisons – with a high human cost – but have not curbed the production, trafficking, or use of drugs.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute; Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2010. v.p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2010 at: http://www.druglawreform.info/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=category&cid=122&Itemid=46&lang=en

Year: 2010

Country: Central America

URL: http://www.druglawreform.info/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=category&cid=122&Itemid=46&lang=en

Shelf Number: 120557

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
Prisons (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecu

Author: Donohue, John J., III

Title: Rethinking America's Illegal Drug Policy

Summary: This paper provides a critical review of the empirical and theoretical literatures on illegal drug policy, including cross-country comparisons, in order to evaluate three drug policy regimes: criminalization, legalization and “depenalization.” Drawing on the experiences of various states, as well as countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands, the paper attempts to identify cost-minimizing policies for marijuana and cocaine by assessing the differing ways in which the various drug regimes would likely change the magnitude and composition of the social costs of each drug. The paper updates and evaluates Jeffrey Miron’s 1999 national time series analysis of drug prohibition spending and the homicide rate, which underscores the lack of a solid empirical base for assessing the theoretically anticipated crime drop that would come from drug legalization. Nonetheless, the authors conclude that given the number of arrests for marijuana possession, and the costs of incarceration and crime systemic to cocaine criminalization, the current regime is unlikely to be cost-minimizing for either marijuana or cocaine.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011. 102p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series; Working Paper 16776: Accessed February 14, 2011 at: http://mfi.uchicago.edu/publications/papers/donohue_drugpolicy.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://mfi.uchicago.edu/publications/papers/donohue_drugpolicy.pdf

Shelf Number: 120757

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Legalization
Drug Policy

Author: Jelsma, Martin

Title: The Development of International Drug Control: Lessons Learned and Strategic Challenges for the Future

Summary: The emergence of more pragmatic and less punitive approaches to the drugs issue may represent the beginning of change in the current global drug control regime. The spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users, the overcrowding of prisons, the reluctance in South America to remain a theatre for military anti-drug operations, and the ineffectiveness of repressive anti-drug efforts to reduce the illicit market have all contributed to the global erosion of support for the United States-style war on drugs. Over the last decade rapidly widening cracks have begun to split global drug control consensus. The zero-tolerance ideology is increasingly challenged by calls for decriminalisation, harm reduction and embedding human rights principles in drug control. And in recent years the merits of a regulated legal market for cannabis has been accepted as part of the mainstream debate about a more effective control model. This paper describes how the foundations for the global control system were established, the radicalization of the system toward more repressive implementation, consequently leading to soft defections and de-escalation efforts becoming more widespread; and in the last section projects a future for the ongoing reform process toward a modernization and humanization of the control system’s international legal framework as laid down in the UN drug control conventions.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2010. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper Prepared for the First Meeting of the Commission, Geneva, 24-25 January 2011: http://www.tni.org/paper/development-international-drug-control

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.tni.org/paper/development-international-drug-control

Shelf Number: 120902

Keywords:
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: South-East Asia: Opium Survey 2010: Lao PDR, Myanmar

Summary: This year’s South East Asia Opium Survey shows that while opium poppy cultivation in this region remains well below the problematic levels of the mid-1990s, the relentless rise recorded in the preceding three years continues. In addition, and despite the fact that governments have increase their eradication efforts, we estimate that potential opium production in 2010 has increased by approximately 75 per cent when compared with 2009. This has occurred largely as a result of two combined factors: more area under cultivation and higher yields. Poverty and instability are two of the drivers which push farmers to grow (or sometimes return to growing) illicit crops. The recent global economic crisis appears to have exacerbated the situation for poor communities that cultivate opium poppy. Another factor driving cultivation is the steeply rising price of opium over the last few years.

Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2010. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 14, 2011 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/sea/SEA_report_2010_withcover_small.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/sea/SEA_report_2010_withcover_small.pdf

Shelf Number: 120926

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Narcotics
Opium (Asia)

Author: Open Society Institute. Public Health Program

Title: At What Cost? HIV and Human Rights Consequences of the Global "War on Drugs"

Summary: A decade after governments worldwide pledged to achieve a "drug-free world," there is little evidence that the supply or demand of illicit drugs has been reduced. Instead, aggressive drug control policies have led to increased incarceration for minor offenses, human rights violations, and disease. This book examines the descent of the global war on drugs into a war on people who use drugs. From Puerto Rico to Phnom Penh, Manipur to Moscow, the scars of this war are carried on the bodies and minds of drug users, their families, and the health and service providers who work with them. The following topics are included in this volume: •Police Abuse of Injection Drug Users in Indonesia •Arbitrary Detention and Police Abuse of Drug Users in Cambodia •Forced Drug Testing in China •Drug Control Policies and HIV Prevention and Care Among Injection Drug Users in Imphal, India •Effects of UN and Russian Influence on Drug Policy in Central Asia •The Impacts of the Drug War in Latin America and the Caribbean •Civil Society Reflections on 10 Years of Drug Control in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam •Twin Epidemics–Drug Use and HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.

Details: New York: Open Society Institute, 2009. 196p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2011 at: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/ihrd/articles_publications/publications/atwhatcost_20090302

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/ihrd/articles_publications/publications/atwhatcost_20090302

Shelf Number: 121408

Keywords:
AIDS (Disease)
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement

Author: Birdwell, Jonathan

Title: Taking Drugs Seriously: A Demos and UK Drug Policy Commission Report on Legal Highs

Summary: Since first coming to public prominence at the end of 2009, legal highs have posed a major challenge to existing legal and legislative structures designed to deal with drugs. With the market in manufactured psychoactive substances like mephedrone moving faster than public policy can accommodate, this report asks whether the assumptions enshrined in the 40-year-old Misuse of Drugs Act are still valid when applied 21st century drugs market. Bringing together stakeholders from across all areas involved in drugs policy - including frontline practitioners such as medical professionals, youth workers and law enforcement - Taking Drugs Seriously brings bold, innovative responses to an area too often dominated by stale rhetoric. The report points a way forward for public policy, taking account of the opportunities for new thinking presented by the challenges of the modern drugs market.

Details: London: Demos, 2011. 155p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 19, 2011 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Taking_Drugs_Seriously_-_web.pdf?1305207826

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Taking_Drugs_Seriously_-_web.pdf?1305207826

Shelf Number: 121748

Keywords:
Drug Abuse Policy (U.K.)
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy
Drug Reform
Drugs

Author: Barrett, Damon

Title: Backgrounder: Bolivia’s Concurrent Drug Control and Other International Legal Commitments

Summary: Bolivia’s denunciation of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is not just about one treaty. It is about finding an appropriate balance between multiple concurrent and conflicting international legal obligations. When international treaties ratified by or acceded to by Bolivia and relevant jurisprudence are taken into account, it is clear that Bolivia would find itself in breach of multiple international agreements were it to fully implement the 1961 Single Convention as written. A reservation on the 1961 Single Convention is the most reasonable and proportionate way to address this conflict. This is particularly so in relation to indigenous peoples and free prior and informed consent relating on issues that affect them. The manner in which Bolivia translates international obligations under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs into national legislation, programmes and policies must be consistent with its obligations to respect indigenous peoples rights that flow from its obligations under contemporary international, constitutional and (indigenous) customary law. The proposed reservation provides the means through which these obligations can be harmonised. Without it the Convention would constitute a unilateral imposition of a ban on the coca leaf on indigenous peoples, and a failure to fulfill the obligations to hold good faith consultations in order to obtain their consent and to ensure their cultural and physical survival. A second question relates to whether the reservation is compatible with other concurrent international legal obligations, in this case under the law of treaties and children’s rights. An analysis of these agreements set against Bolivia’s proposal reveals no apparent conflict.

Details: London: International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy, 2011. 7p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2011 at: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/international_legal_commitments.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Bolivia

URL: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/international_legal_commitments.pdf

Shelf Number: 121966

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy (Bolivia)
Human Rights
Indigenous Peoples

Author: Harris, Genevieve

Title: Conviction by Numbers: Threshold Quantities for Drug Policy

Summary: Threshold quantities (TQs) for drug law and policy are being experimented with across many jurisdictions. States seem attracted to their apparent simplicity and use them to determine, for example, whether: a possession or supply offence is made out (e.g. Greece); a matter should be diverted away from the criminal justice system (e.g. Portugal); or a case should fall within a certain sentencing range (e.g. UK). Looking at examples from the EU and beyond, however, it is becoming clear that there are no ‘magic numbers’ in drug policy and that this tool brings its own complications and pit-falls. This briefing will therefore seek to provide an overview of the current discussion around TQs and will explore the mechanism of TQs including their benefits and drawbacks as a policy and legal tool.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 14: Accessed July 11, 2011 at: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/dlr14.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/dlr14.pdf

Shelf Number: 122022

Keywords:
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Offenses
Drug Policy
Drug Reform

Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Title: Drug Policy Profiles -- Portugal

Summary: The EMCDDA Drug policy profiles aim to describe some of the main characteristics of national drug policies in Europe and beyond. The profiles do not attempt to assess these policies, but instead outline their development and main features. The objective is to help readers — from researchers to policymakers — gain a better understanding of the way in which countries control drugs and respond to drug-related security, social and health problems. This first profile describes the national drug policy of Portugal, a policy that has attracted significant attention recently in the media and in policy debates. It considers national strategies and action plans, the legal context within which they operate and the public funds spent, or committed, to resource them. It also describes the political bodies and mechanisms set up to coordinate the response to the multi-faceted problem and the systems of evaluation that may help to improve future policy.

Details: Lisbon: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2011. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2011 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_137215_EN_PolicyProfile_Portugal_WEB_Final.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Portugal

URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_137215_EN_PolicyProfile_Portugal_WEB_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 122048

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (Portugal)
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drugs

Author: Organization of American States

Title: Hemispheric Report: Evaluation of Progress in Drug Control: Fifth Evaluation Round

Summary: The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) is an instrument designed to measure the progress of actions taken by all member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) to combat the global drug problem. The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), as an OAS specialized agency, implemented this Mechanism in 1998, pursuant to a mandate from the Second Summit of the Americas held in Santiago, Chile in 1998. The MEM, as a diagnostic tool, has evolved to become an instrument which promotes cooperation to support member states in effectively addressing the drug problem. It catalyzes hemispheric cooperation, promotes dialogue among government authorities, and precisely channels assistance to areas requiring greater attention. It has become one of the primary achievements in implementing hemispheric mandates to strengthen multilateral cooperation. The country evaluation reports are based on the information provided by countries in response to a Questionnaire of Indicators. They are drafted by the Governmental Expert Group (GEG), a multi-disciplinary group composed of experts from the 33 OAS member states who have been designated by their country. Each functions independently from his/her government, and experts do not participate in the evaluation of their own countries. The GEG conducts its analysis using the information supplied by countries through their designated National Coordinating Entities (NCE), which are responsible for liaising with national organizations to gather data for completion of the questionnaire. The methodology used in the MEM process includes establishing dialogue with countries to analyze the information provided and to prepare national evaluative reports with conclusions and recommendations. Each country reviews and comments on the content of the evaluation, ensuring an open, participatory process. The MEM, therefore, allows member states to identify their strengths, weaknesses, progress, setbacks and shortcomings, and assists them in adjusting their policies and procedures in order to respond more effectively to the challenges posed by the international drug problem. The Hemispheric Report that follows provides a comprehensive review of the Fifth Evaluation Round reports, covering the period 2007-2009. The source of information is the MEM National Reports, approved by the CICAD Commissioners at the forty-eighth regular session of CICAD in Washington, D.C. in December 2010. The Hemispheric Report addresses the collective progress of the CICAD member states in confronting the drug problem from a hemispheric perspective, mirroring the structure of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy, which provides guidelines for integrated, coordinated and cooperative hemispheric action. Each chapter is based on the Fifth Evaluation Round national reports1, as well as contributions from the GEG and the Executive Secretariat of CICAD. The content of the Hemispheric Report was approved at the forty-ninth regular session of CICAD, in May 2011.

Details: Washington, DC: Organization of American States, 2011. 53p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 1, 2011 at: http://www.cicad.oas.org/MEM/Reports/5/Full_Eval/Informe%20Hemisferico%20-%205ta%20Ronda%20-%20ENG.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.cicad.oas.org/MEM/Reports/5/Full_Eval/Informe%20Hemisferico%20-%205ta%20Ronda%20-%20ENG.pdf

Shelf Number: 122240

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Control Policy

Author: Barrett, Damon, ed.

Title: Children of the Drug War: Perspectives on the Impact of Drug Policies on Young People

Summary: Children of the Drug War is a unique collection of original essays that investigates the impacts of the war on drugs on children, young people, and their families. With contributions from around the world, providing different perspectives and using a wide range of styles and approaches, including ethnographic studies, personal accounts, and interviews, the book asks fundamental questions of national and international drug control systems: • What have been the costs to children and young people of the war on drugs? • Is the protection of children from drugs a solid justification for current policies? • What kinds of public fears and preconceptions exist in relation to drugs and the drug trade? • How can children and young people be placed at the forefront of drug policies? Four thematic sections address: • Production and trade • Race, class, and law enforcement • Families and drug policy • Children, drug use, and dependence.

Details: New York: International Debate Education Association, 2011. 241p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 23, 2011 at: http://www.childrenofthedrugwar.org/

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.childrenofthedrugwar.org/

Shelf Number: 122471

Keywords:
Children, Drug Use
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: Turkish Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Title: Turkish Drug Report: 2010

Summary: Turkey strongly believes that supply and demand cannot be separated from each other in counteracting drug use and addiction; therefore, coordination and simultaneous actions are essential concerning both fields. Additionally, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration fields are also integrated parts of this process. Thus, these multilateral actions are to be based on scientific grounds. In this scope, reports based on reliable, accurate and comparable data play an important role in the success of the actions undertaken against addictive substances and drug addiction. These reports are influential in the identification of roadmaps for an effective fight against drugs and efficient use of resources by laying down the weaknesses and strengths of the actions undertaken by States through analysis. In this framework, “Turkish Drug Report” is prepared on an annual basis since 2006 by the Turkish National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, namely the Turkish National Focal Point of the EMCDDA, affiliated to the Turkish National Police, Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organised Crime. This Report handles and approaches to the drug addiction problem not only in its law enforcement (supply) aspect, but also in all its aspects covering all the relevant ministries, NGOs, treatment and rehabilitation centres, universities and media. One of the most important focus points of this Report is to raise awareness on the perception of the tasks and duties of the relevant agencies and institutions in this multilateral and multidisciplinary counteraction. Detailed information and analysis on the current situation in Turkey concerning drugs and drug addiction and on the interventions in prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and criminal justice systems are shared, via this Report, with all the relevant agencies and institutions and are brought into their use.

Details: Ankara: Turkish Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2011. 204p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 24, 2011 at: http://polis.osce.org/library/f/3796/3079/GOV-TUR-RPT-3796-EN-Turkish%20Drug%20Report%202010.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Turkey

URL: http://polis.osce.org/library/f/3796/3079/GOV-TUR-RPT-3796-EN-Turkish%20Drug%20Report%202010.pdf

Shelf Number: 122476

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addition (Turkey)
Drug Abuse Treatment
Drug Control

Author: Seelke, Clare Ribando

Title: U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The Merida Initiative and Beyond

Summary: Increasing violence perpetrated by drug trafficking organizations and other criminal groups is threatening citizen security and governance in Mexico. According to Mexican government data, organized crime-related violence claimed more than 34,500 lives in Mexico between January 2007 and December 2010. That toll may now exceed 40,000. Escalating violence has increased U.S. concerns about stability in Mexico, a key political and economic ally, and about the possibility of violence spilling over into the United States. Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the U.S. illicit drug market and are now considered the greatest organized crime threat facing the United States. In recent years, U.S.-Mexican security cooperation has increased significantly, largely as a result of the development and implementation of the Mérida Initiative, a counterdrug and anticrime assistance package for Mexico and Central America that was first proposed in October 2007. Between FY2008 and FY2010, Congress provided $1.5 billion for Mérida Initiative programs in Mexico, with an early emphasis on training and equipping Mexican security forces engaged in counterdrug efforts. As part of the Mérida Initiative, the Mexican government pledged to intensify its efforts against transnational criminal organizations and the U.S. government pledged to address drug demand and the illicit trafficking of firearms and bulk currency to Mexico. With funding for the original Mérida Initiative technically ending in FY2010 and new initiatives underway for Central America and the Caribbean, the Obama Administration worked with the Mexican government to develop a new four-pillar strategy for U.S.-Mexican security cooperation. That strategy, adopted in March 2010, focuses on (1) disrupting organized criminal groups; (2) institutionalizing the rule of law; (3) building a 21st century border; and (4) building strong and resilient communities. The first two pillars largely build upon existing efforts, whereas pillars three and four broaden the scope of Mérida programs to include efforts to facilitate “secure flows” through the U.S.-Mexico border and to improve conditions in violence-prone border cities. Congress appropriated $143.0 million in Mérida assistance for Mexico for FY2011 in P.L. 112-10. The Administration requested $282 million in Mérida assistance for FY2012. As of August 1, 2011, a total of $473.8 million worth of assistance had been provided to Mexico. The 112th Congress is likely to continue funding and overseeing the Mérida Initiative, as well as examining the degree to which the U.S. and Mexican governments are fulfilling their pledges to tackle domestic problems contributing to drug trafficking and crime in the region. Congress may also examine the degree to which the Administration’s new strategy for the Mérida Initiative complements other counterdrug and border security efforts as outlined in the 2011 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. Given current budget constraints, Congress may also debate how best to measure the impact of current and future Mérida Initiative programs. Another congressional interest is likely to focus on whether human rights conditions placed on Mérida Initiative funding are appropriate or sufficient.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2011. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: R41349: Accessed September 7, 2011 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41349.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Mexico

URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41349.pdf

Shelf Number: 122670

Keywords:
Border Security
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking (Mexico)
Merida Initiative
Organized Crime
Trafficking in Weapons

Author: Tanguay, Pascal

Title: Policy Responses to Drug Issues in Malaysia

Summary: The development of drug policies in Malaysia has historically relied on harsh punitive measures, including widespread arrest and incarceration of users, and the continuing use of the death penalty for trafficking offences. However, since 2005, the introduction of harm reduction services as well as the more recent initiation of a process to transform compulsory drug treatment centres into voluntary needs-based services for people who use drugs indicates that Malaysia’s response to drug-related issues has become increasingly health focused. This paper provides an insight into Malaysian drug policies and the environment in which the national response to drugs has been developing in terms of harm reduction, prisons, drug treatment, law enforcement responses and civil society participation. An analysis of the situation concludes with recommendations for further drug policy development.

Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium , 2011. 10p.

Source: Internet Resource: IDPC Briefing Paper: Accessed September 12, 2011 at: www.idpc.net

Year: 2011

Country: Malaysia

URL:

Shelf Number: 122721

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy (Malaysia)
Drug Treatment

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Prescription Drug Control: DEA Has Enhanced Efforts to Combat Diversion, but Could Better Assess and Report Program Results

Summary: The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Diversion Control Program is responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and ensuring the availability of prescription drugs such as pain relievers and stimulants while preventing their diversion for abuse. The CSA requires entities handling controlled substances--such as manufacturers, pharmacies, and physicians, among others-- to register with DEA, which conducts regulatory investigations of registrants, as well as criminal investigations. GAO was asked (1) how DEA manages diversion investigation efforts, and (2) how DEA ensures policies and procedures are followed for investigations and the extent to which it determines the results of its efforts. GAO reviewed DEA policies and procedures, and interviewed DEA, state, and local officials at eleven locations which were selected on the basis of volume of cases handled, geographic diversity, and other considerations. These observations are not generalizable, but provided insights on DEA operations. To respond to the increasing rate of criminal diversion of prescription drugs and a growing registrant population, DEA has expanded its resources and targeted its investigation strategies to collaborate with state and local entities and enhance the effectiveness of its diversion investigations. Specifically, the agency expanded its use of Tactical Diversion Squads (squads) of DEA personnel as well as other federal, state, and local partners investigating diversion schemes to maximize resources and improve efforts to investigate criminal diversion. DEA currently has 40 squads across the country and plans to establish more. According to squad participants and DEA officials GAO contacted, the squads have improved communication and coordination and simplified information sharing for investigations. Because of the growing registrant population and noncompliance by some with the CSA and implementing regulations, DEA renewed its focus on regulatory oversight of registrants to better ensure compliance. By using the squads to free up resources previously dedicated to both criminal and regulatory cases, DEA used those resources to increase regulatory investigations of the registrants. As a result, the number of regulatory investigations more than tripled between fiscal years 2009 and 2010. DEA also conducted outreach to specific registrant types to inform them of regulatory responsibilities and prepare them for regulatory investigations. DEA has taken steps to ensure that investigators follow policies and procedures for such investigations, but could better assess how its efforts are reducing the diversion of prescription drugs. To ensure that diversion investigators and special agents have the necessary skills to carry out their responsibilities and that DEA monitors the extent to which policies and procedures are followed during investigations, DEA has established internal controls related to guidance, training, and oversight of investigations. These controls include providing and updating guidance to investigators to follow during investigations, providing initial and on-going training to investigators, and monitoring the quality of investigations through a combination of direct supervisory reviews, self-inspections, and on-site internal inspections by DEA's Office of Inspections. Recent reports from on-site internal inspections of each of DEA's field divisions did not identify any widespread or systematic issues related to the timeliness and overall quality of diversion investigations. Given DEA's increased focus on investigations in response to growing prescription drug diversion, it is critical for DEA to determine the extent to which these additional efforts are reducing diversion. DEA has established performance measures for the Diversion Control Program, but these measures do not clearly demonstrate the effect the additional efforts are having on the diversion problem the program seeks to address. For example, for its overall performance measure of the diversion control program, DEA is tracking the development and implementation of an internal information technology project. By more closely linking performance measures to the goal of reducing diversion, DEA could better capture the results of the Diversion Control program to help inform decision makers in allocating resources. GAO recommends DEA reassess the program's performance measures to better link them to the goal of reducing diversion. DEA did not concur. GAO continues to believe the measures could be enhanced as discussed in this report.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2011. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-11-744: Accessed September 27, 2011 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11744.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11744.pdf

Shelf Number: 122922

Keywords:
Drug Abuse (U.S.)
Drug Control
Prescription Drugs

Author: Vargas Meza, Ricardo

Title: USAID’s Alternative Development policy in Colombia

Summary: Development as practised by USAID and the Colombia government was always guided more by security rather than development considerations. This report examines the key aspects of USAID's alternative development policy and its implementation in Colombia during the last decade. Key Points • Alternative development must not be part of a militarised security strategy, which is the predominant approach in Colombia. Instead of simply attempting to reduce the area planted with illicit crops, Alternative Development programmes should operate within the framework of a rural and regional development plan. • Alternative Development programmes must foster social processes in which the community participates and is empowered throughout the entire project cycle, from formulation to evaluation. • Before intervening in conflict zones, such as drug crop-growing areas or transit corridors, international cooperation agencies should carry out detailed assessments of factors such as: changes in land tenure structures as a result of the armed conflict; existence of emerging powers related to drug trafficking, paramilitaries or other armed actors; situation of legitimate community organisations (Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities), among others. • International cooperation agencies should analyse in depth the role of Alternative Development, examining the process of territorial control by organised criminal groups.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Drug Policy Briefing Nr. 38: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief38.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Colombia

URL: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief38.pdf

Shelf Number: 123201

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Illegal Drugs (Colombia)

Author: Edwards, Sandra G.

Title: Drug Law Reform in Ecuador: Building Momentum for a More Effective, Balanced and Realistic Approach

Summary: Across the hemisphere, frustration is growing with the failure of the "war on drugs." Many Latin American countries face rising rates of drug consumption, despite harsh drug laws that have left prisons bursting at the seams. Typically, users and low-level dealers bear the brunt of the sanctions, while high-level actors with money and power carry on with impunity. In response, numerous countries are exploring alternative policies. For example, in August 2009, Mexico enacted a law decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use. That same month, the Argentine Supreme Court determined that imposing criminal sanctions for the possession of drugs for personal use is unconstitutional, a ruling that paves the way for pending legislation that would decriminalize the possession of all illicit drugs for personal consumption. Brazilian officials are working on reforms that would advance legislative changes in 2002 and 2006 that partially decriminalize possession of drugs for personal use. In short, an incipient drug law reform movement appears to be gaining traction across the region and even in the United States. In Ecuador, the Correa government's comprehensive justice sector reform project includes significant changes in drug legislation. The country has one of the most punitive drug laws in the hemisphere. In a perversion of justice, those accused of drug offenses are assumed guilty unless they can prove their innocence, mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines ensure excessively long sentences and arrest quotas have led to the imprisonment of growing numbers of those at the lowest end of the drug trafficking trade. By 2008, Ecuador's justice system had reached a breaking point, overwhelmed by huge caseloads of drug-related offenses, and prisons were bursting at the seams. The need for significant reforms was painfully clear. This brief explains why and how the Ecuadorian government arrived at its decision to undertake significant drug law reform and how, if implemented successfully, those reforms could result in more effective, just and humane national drug control policies, setting an example for the rest of the region.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute - TNI, 2010. 15p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 5, 2011 at: http://www.wola.org/drug_law_reform_in_ecuador

Year: 2010

Country: Ecuador

URL: http://www.wola.org/drug_law_reform_in_ecuador

Shelf Number: 123244

Keywords:
Drug Abuse (Ecuador)
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy

Author: Transform Drug Policy Foundation

Title: The War on Drugs: Causing Deforestation and Pollution

Summary: Examining a range of environmental issues surrounding the war on drugs, the briefing includes several case studies as well as sections on: •The futility of drug crop eradications •The aerial fumigation of drug crops, a practice that is still permitted in the world’s second most biodiverse country, Colombia •The deforestation that occurs as law enforcement drives drug crop producers into ever more remote and ecologically valuable regions •The pollution caused by unregulated, illicit drug production methods While some of the consequences of the war on drugs are relatively well known and understood by those aware of the issue, the environmental impacts of current drug policy are seldom given proper consideration. This must change. As this briefing outlines, if these environmental costs are to be minimised or avoided, alternative forms of drug control must be explored.

Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2012 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Environment-briefing.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Environment-briefing.pdf

Shelf Number: 123591

Keywords:
Crop Eradication
Deforestation
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Environment
Pollution
War on Drugs

Author: Transform Drug Policy Foundation

Title: The War on Drugs: Undermining Human Rights

Summary: The global “war on drugs” has been fought for 50 years, without preventing the long-term trend of increasing drug supply and use. Beyond this failure, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified many serious “unintended negative consequences” of the drug war – including widespread human rights abuses.(1) These human rights costs result not from drug use itself, but from choosing a punitive enforcement-led approach that, by its nature, criminalises many users, often the most vulnerable in society, and places organised criminals in control of the trade. This briefing summarises these human rights costs. There is naturally overlap with other areas of the Count the Costs project, including: security and development, discrimination and stigma, public health, crime, the environment, and economics.

Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2011. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2012 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Human_rights_briefing.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Human_rights_briefing.pdf

Shelf Number: 123633

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Human Rights
War on Drugs

Author: Sheridan, Janie

Title: Prescription drug misuse: issues for primary care - final report

Summary: The misuse of prescription medicines is an internationally recognised problem associated with a number of health and social harms. Qualitative research by the University of Auckland, funded by the National Drug Policy Discretionary Grant Fund, provides a valuable insight into prescription drug misuse in New Zealand through the eyes of primary healthcare practitioners and experts in drug policy and treatment. The authors have also looked at how New Zealand compares to countries such as Australia and USA in terms of available data, as well as summarising possible policy approaches to addressing prescription drug misuse.

Details: Auckland, NZ: The University of Auckland, 2008. 146p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at

Year: 2008

Country: New Zealand

URL:

Shelf Number: 124027

Keywords:
Drug Abuse (New Zealand)
Drug Control
Prescription Drugs

Author: Maryland. Office of the Attorney General

Title: Prescription for Disaster: The Growing Problem of Prescription Drug Abuse in Maryland

Summary: Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. released a report which warns of a burgeoning crisis of prescription drug abuse and diversion in Maryland and nationwide which will only get worse unless federal and state officials step up efforts to address the problem. Entitled "Prescription for Disaster:The Growing Problem of Prescription Drug Abuse in Maryland," the report makes several recommendations, including the creation of an electronic prescription monitoring program, increased penalties for illegal distribution of pharmaceuticals, and a public outreach campaign to heighten awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, with particular focus on the virtually unfettered youth access to controlled dangerous substances via the Internet. The report cites federal data showing that prescription drug abuse is rising faster and more consistently than abuse of illicit drugs, particularly among young people. An alarming one in five teens report having used a prescription pain reliever, like Vicodin® or OxyContin®, to get high, and they are more likely to have done so than to have experimented with most illicit drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and LSD. Maryland is no exception to national trends, with prescription drug abuse rising almost five times faster than abuse of illicit drugs. The State ranked 6th in the nation in its recent rates of admission for prescription drug abuse treatment, and law enforcement officials cite concerns that the Baltimore region is becoming a "source area" for diverted OxyContin®. Adults and teens obtain prescription drugs through prescription fraud, doctor-shopping, theft and the Internet, which is fast becoming a frightening pipeline for prescription drug diversion. While Curran said it must fall to the federal government to impose much-needed regulation on the pharmaceutical Internet trade, which he urged Congress to do, he emphasized steps the State can and should take immediately to address the problem. First, he called for illegal distribution of prescription drugs to be made a felony instead of a misdemeanor. In addition, Curran promised he would work to see that Maryland join 21 other states in establishing an electronic prescription monitoring program, in which a central database of all prescriptions written and dispensed in the State would be kept to help detect abuse and diversion. Most states surrounding Maryland, like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia, either have or will soon have such programs up and running. Curran cautioned that a prescription monitoring program must be designed carefully, drawing upon the input and expertise of pain management specialists, pharmacists, law enforcement, patient advocates and others. He has already begun discussions with medical and pharmaceutical experts, and he emphasized the importance of making sure the program would protect patient privacy and would not interfere with the legitimate use of pain relievers and other drugs. Recognizing that people already often have trouble getting prescription pain relievers and other drugs which would be of tremendous help to them, he said, "the last thing we want to do is make that problem worse. We want to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands, but we must make sure that doctors can provide the best care possible to their patients, and patients get the medicines they need." Finally, Curran urged an educational effort to make parents and others more aware of prescription drug abuse, its growing prevalence and warning signs, and the increasing availability of a wide range of powerful prescription drugs on the Internet.

Details: Maryland: State of Maryland Office of the Attorney General, 2009. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 29, 2012 at http://www.oag.state.md.us/Reports/PrescriptionDrugAbuse.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.oag.state.md.us/Reports/PrescriptionDrugAbuse.pdf

Shelf Number: 124325

Keywords:
Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse (Maryland)
Drug Control
Opioid Epidemic
Opioids
Prescription Drug Abuse

Author: Blumenschien, Karen

Title: Review of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs in the United States

Summary: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) collect prescription data on medications classified as federal controlled substances. The information is stored in a central database and can be accessed by authorized users. Although programmatic details differ among states, in general, all PDMPs are designed to assist in detecting and preventing abuse, misuse, and diversion of controlled substances. Specifically, programs are targeted toward reducing the incidence of ‘doctor shopping’ which occurs when patients see multiple providers and pharmacies with the intent of obtaining controlled substances for misuse and/or diversion. Health care professionals who prescribe or dispense controlled substances can access PDMP databases with increasing ease and efficiency. Since the advent of electronic prescription drug monitoring systems, access can occur at the point of care and can assist prescribers and dispensers in making treatment decisions. Patients’ reported use of scheduled medications can be confirmed by accessing PDMP reports, allowing prescribers and dispensers to detect individuals who may be feigning illnesses in an effort to acquire drugs for the purpose of abuse or diversion. The term prescriber as used in this report includes physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals authorized to prescribe controlled substances; the term dispenser refers to those individuals who dispense controlled substances, the vast majority of whom are community pharmacists. In addition to prescribers and dispensers, most states allow regulatory and law enforcement agencies involved in drug-related investigations to access PDMP databases, enabling them to more efficiently collect and analyze data that may be useful in identifying those individuals involved in illegal trafficking or misuse of prescription drugs.

Details: Lexington, KY: Institute for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 2010. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2012 at http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/85989824-1030-4AA6-91E1-7F9E3EF68827/0/KASPEREvaluationPDMPStatusFinalReport6242010.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/85989824-1030-4AA6-91E1-7F9E3EF68827/0/KASPEREvaluationPDMPStatusFinalReport6242010.pdf

Shelf Number: 124385

Keywords:
Drug Abuse
Drug Control
Prescription Drugs

Author: Jiggens, John Lawrence

Title: Marijuana Australiana : Cannabis Use, Popular Culture and the Americanisation of Drugs Policy in Australia, 1938-1988

Summary: The word 'marijuana' was introduced to Australia by the US Bureau of Narcotics via the Diggers newspaper, Smith's Weekly, in 1938. Marijuana was said to be 'a new drug that maddens victims' and it was sensationally described as an 'evil sex drug'. The resulting tabloid furore saw the plant cannabis sativa banned in Australia, even though cannabis had been a well-known and widely used drug in Australia for many decades. In 1964, a massive infestation of wild cannabis was found growing along a stretch of the Hunter River between Singleton and Maitland in New South Wales. The explosion in Australian marijuana use began there. It was fuelled after 1967 by US soldiers on rest and recreation leave from Vietnam. It was the Baby-Boomer young who were turning on. Pot smoking was overwhelmingly associated with the generation born in the decade after the Second World War. As the conflict over the Vietnam War raged in Australia, it provoked intense generational conflict between the Baby-Boomers and older generations. Just as in the US, pot was adopted by Australian Baby-Boomers as their symbol; and, as in the US, the attack on pot users served as code for an attack on the young, the Left, and the alternative. In 1976, the 'War on Drugs' began in earnest in Australia with paramilitary attacks on the hippie colonies at Cedar Bay in Queensland and Tuntable Falls in New South Wales. It was a time of increasing US style prohibition characterised by 'tough-on-drugs' right-wing rhetoric, police crackdowns, numerous murders, and a marijuana drought followed quickly by a heroin plague; in short by a massive worsening of 'the drug problem'. During this decade, organised crime moved into the pot scene and the price of pot skyrocketed, reaching $450 an ounce in 1988. Thanks to the Americanisation of drugs policy, the black market made 'a killing'. In Marijuana Australiana I argue that the 'War on Drugs' developed -- not for health reasons -- but for reasons of social control; as a domestic counter-revolution against the Whitlamite, Baby-Boomer generation by older Nixonite Drug War warriors like Queensland Premier, Bjelke-Petersen. It was a misuse of drugs policy which greatly worsened drug problems, bringing with it American-style organised crime. As the subtitle suggests, Marijuana Australiana relies significantly on 'alternative' sources, and I trawl the waters of popular culture, looking for songs, posters, comics and underground magazines to produce an 'underground' history of cannabis in Australia. This 'pop' approach is balanced with a hard-edged, quantitative analysis of the size of the marijuana market, the movement of price, and the seizure figures in the section called 'History By Numbers'. As Alfred McCoy notes, we need to understand drugs as commodities. It is only through a detailed understanding of the drug trade that the deeper secrets of this underground world can be revealed. In this section, I present an economic history of the cannabis market and formulate three laws of the market.

Details: Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology, Centre for Social Change Research, 2004. 294p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 30, 2012 at: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15949/

Year: 2004

Country: Australia

URL: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15949/

Shelf Number: 125108

Keywords:
Cannabis
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Prohibition
Marijuana (Australia)
Organized Crime

Author: California State Task Force on Prescription Drug Misuse

Title: Prescription Drugs: Misuse, Abuse and Dependency

Summary: The nonmedical use of prescription drugs has emerged as a growing and serious problem in California. In response, the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), under the leadership of Director Renée Zito, convened the Prescription Drug Misuse (PDM) Task Force. The Task Force was charged with studying the problem and developing recommendations to increase awareness, limit access, and reduce misuse rates. For the past year, this group has convened by teleconference. The Task Force developed information and discussed issues concerning use patterns, availability, awareness levels and problems associated with the nonmedical use of prescription drugs by diverse population sub‐groups. This report is a culmination of their efforts.

Details: Sacramento: California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, 2009. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2012 at: http://www.adp.ca.gov/director/pdf/Prescription_Drug_Task_Force.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.adp.ca.gov/director/pdf/Prescription_Drug_Task_Force.pdf

Shelf Number: 125462

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription Drugs

Author: Maxwell, Les

Title: ‘New Cannabis’: The Cornerstone of Illicit Drug Harm in New Zealand

Summary: Cannabis is the most controversial and widely debated illicit drug in the world. Cannabis evokes emotive competing commentary from a globally connected pro cannabis lobby who conduct very focused and articulate campaigns to overturn drug laws and policies. In the last forty years there has been a plethora of assessments and studies that have espoused contrary views on the harms posed by cannabis use which has led to confusion amongst the general population. A number of pre-eminent international agencies have highlighted the increasing threat posed by high potency or ‘re-engineered’ cannabis (‘new cannabis’), particularly from a health perspective. It is no surprise ‘new cannabis’ has been a steadily increasing feature of the New Zealand cannabis environment since the late 1990’s. The New Zealand Government, at Ministerial level, recently formally acknowledged New Zealand had a “drug problem”. The prevalence of cannabis in the Oceania Region, particularly New Zealand, as illustrated in this assessment are amongst the highest in the world and are largely of our own making. New Zealand society appears to have been comfortable with high prevalence levels of cannabis within our communities for at least the last fifteen years. Whilst New Zealand has not totally ignored cannabis issues, the emergence of synthetic drugs since the late 1990’s has been a key distraction. This assessment provides commentary on the successful drug control frameworks operating in other countries that have achieved significant reductions in other illicit drug abuse in recent years through recognising and targeting cannabis as the major contributing first drug in the chain towards other drug abuse. Although New Zealand has been affected to some extent by the general trend of global trivialisation of cannabis, further action should be taken to reduce both the supply and demand for cannabis. The challenge is for government to review and where appropriate strengthen measures to reduce cannabis prevalence over the long term to contribute to reducing the prevalence of other illicit drugs.

Details: Wellington, DC: New Zealand National Drug Intelligence Bureau, 2007. 111p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2012 at: http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2008/Cannabis_Strategic_Assessment_Final3_2007_mirror.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: New Zealand

URL: http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2008/Cannabis_Strategic_Assessment_Final3_2007_mirror.pdf

Shelf Number: 117835

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Illicit Drugs (New Zealand)
Marijuana

Author: Gyngell, Kathy

Title: The Phoney War on Drugs

Summary: The Government has repeatedly declared that it is fighting a War on Drugs. But this has been a Phoney War, shows Kathy Gyngell in The Phoney War on Drugs published on Monday 18 May 2009 by the Centre for Policy Studies. For the UK now has one of the most liberal drug policies in Europe. Both Sweden and the Netherlands (despite popular misconceptions) have a more rigorous approach – and far fewer problems with drugs. Kathy Gyngell shows how the Labour Government has taken a new direction for drug policy. Its new “harm-reduction” strategy aimed to reduce the cost of problem drug use. The focus was switched from combating all illicit drug use to the problems of PDUs. Cannabis was declassified. Spending on methadone treatment increased threefold between 2003 and 2008. The aim of treatment for drug offenders was no longer abstinence but management of their addiction with the aim of reducing their reoffending. In practice, this meant prescribing methadone. But this harm-reduction approach has failed. It has entrapped 147,000 people in state-sponsored (mainly methadone) addiction. Addicts leaving government treatment programmes clean of drug use are at the same level as if there had been no treatment programme at all. The UK now faces a widening and a deepening crisis. Over the last 10 years, Class A consumption and ‘problem drug use’ have risen dramatically, drug use has spread to rural areas and the age of children’s initiation into drugs has dropped. 41% of 15 year olds, and 11% of 11 year olds, have taken drugs. Drug death rates continue to rise and are far higher than the European average. The UK has 47.5 deaths per million population (aged 15 to 64) compared to 22.0 in Sweden and 9.6 in the Netherlands. There are over ten Problem Drug Users (PDUs) per 1,000 of the adult population, compared to 4.5 in Sweden or 3.2 in the Netherlands. Weak enforcement and prevention The UK drugs market is estimated to be worth £5 billion a year. In comparison, the Government is spending only £380 million a year – or 28% of the total drugs budget – attempting to control the supply of drugs (over £800 million is spent on treatment programmes and reducing drug-related crime). Only five boats now patrol the UK’s 7,750 mile coastline. The numbers of recorded offences for importing, supply and possession of illicit drugs have all fallen over the last 10 years. At the same time, seizures of drugs have fallen and drug prices have dropped to record low. The quantity of heroin, cocaine and cannabis that has been seized coming into the UK has fallen by 68%, 16% and 34% respectively. Both Sweden and the Netherlands have far more coherent and effective drugs policies. All illicit drug use is targeted. Treatment is clearly aimed at breaking addiction. Drug laws are clearly understood and enforced. And, unlike in the UK, the majority of the drugs budget of both countries is spent on prevention and enforcement. As Kathy Gyngell demonstrates, these principles have been lost sight of over the last 10 years in the UK. A successful UK drug policy would in contrast: bear down on the illicit use of all drugs, not the harms caused by drug use; abandon the harm reduction approach; focus treatment on abstinence and rehabilitation; include a tougher, better-funded enforcement programme to reduce the supply of drugs.

Details: London: Centre for Policy Studies, 2009. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 10, 2012 at: http://www.cps.org.uk/files/reports/original/111026175647-thephoneywarondrugs.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cps.org.uk/files/reports/original/111026175647-thephoneywarondrugs.pdf

Shelf Number: 107669

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy (U.K.)
Drug War

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: •Thematic Evaluation of the Technical Assistance Provided to Afghanistan by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Summary: For two centuries, Afghanistan was a buffer zone between contending international powers rather than a nation State. Resistance to the Soviet invasion during the Cold War and the following acute civil conflict have, over the past 30 years, wreaked havoc with vital infrastructure and weakened the precarious social contract between centre and periphery. Afghanistan today produces 93 per cent of the world’s opium and poses enormous challenges to reconstruction and state-building. Among the interrelated challenges are corruption, weak governance and poor security. The following pages report on the results of an in-depth thematic evaluation of the response of UNODC to those challenges over the period from December 2001 to March 2007. This is the first technical assistance evaluation of a country programme conducted by UNODC. The present evaluation examines, in turn, efforts to build the capacity of Afghanistan government agencies via five subprogrammes: alternative livelihoods, rule of law, law enforcement, drug demand reduction and illicit crop monitoring. The reports include the following: Volume 1: Consolidated Evaluation Report on the Technical Assistance Provided to Afghanistan by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Volume 2: Alternative Livelihoods Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan; Volume 3: Law Enforcement Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan; Volume 4: Rule of Law Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan; Volume 5: Drug Demand Reduction Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan; Volume 6: Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan.

Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2008. 6 volumes

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 17, 2012 at: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/evaluation/thematic-evaluation-reports.html

Year: 2008

Country: Afghanistan

URL: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/evaluation/thematic-evaluation-reports.html

Shelf Number: 115370

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drugs and Crime (Afghanistan)
Opium
Rule of Law

Author: Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA)

Title: Pharmaceutical Misuse - Position Paper

Summary: Pharmaceuticals are key to the realisation of positive health outcomes for many Victorians when used appropriately. However, Pharmaceutical misuse is a growing problem in Australia and has become endemic in other similar countries such as US and Canada. There are a number of populations vulnerable to pharmaceutical misuse, some of which are hidden and are not accessing treatment. GPs and other primary care prescribers and pharmacists, as the gatekeepers to community access of pharmaceuticals, are not supported strongly enough to prevent the harms associated with misuse. Various systemic failures at a range of levels contribute to this pending crisis. GPs and other primary care prescribers and pharmacists need heightened support and training and the alcohol and other drug treatment sector must be resourced to cater for increasingly complex service user presentations and geared to service hidden populations. A real time prescription monitoring program should be implemented with appropriate protections for community members. These initiatives should be supported by an overarching strategy which encapsulates the relevant sections of existing national and state strategies, refers to morbidity and mortality data and is evidence informed with measurable indicators.

Details: Melbourne: VAADA, 2012. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at: http://www.vaada.org.au/resources/items/2012/08/509413-upload-00001.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.vaada.org.au/resources/items/2012/08/509413-upload-00001.pdf

Shelf Number: 125910

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (Australia)
Drug Control
Drug Monitoring
Medicines
Pharmaceuticals, Abuse

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Counternarcotics Assistance: U.S. Agencies Have Allotted Billions in Andean Countries, but DOD Should Improve Its Reporting of Results

Summary: Hundreds of metric tons of cocaine flow annually from South America to the United States, threatening the security and well-being of U.S. citizens. South American cocaine production and trafficking is centered in the five countries in the Andean region. State, USAID, DOD, and DEA provide counternarcotics assistance to stem production and trafficking of narcotics in these countries. ONDCP oversees and coordinates this assistance. In this report, GAO (1) describes the U.S. strategic approaches to counter- narcotics assistance in the Andean countries; (2) identifies amounts allotted for such assistance by State, USAID, DOD, and DEA in fiscal years 2006 through 2011; and (3) reviews the agencies’ reporting on their performance. GAO reviewed agency and U.S. strategy documents, analyzed available agency data, and interviewed agency officials. What GAO Recommends -- The Secretary of Defense should ensure that DOD submits performance summary reports to ONDCP including the Inspector General’s attestation that the reported information is reliable to facilitate good management and oversight. DOD concurred with this recommendation.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2012. 52p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-12-824: Accessed August 13, 2012 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592241.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: South America

URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592241.pdf

Shelf Number: 126009

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drug Trafficking Control
Narcotics

Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Title: Travel and Drug Use in Europe: A Short Review

Summary: Recent decades have seen a growth in travel and tourism abroad because of cheap air fares and holiday packages. This has been accompanied by a relaxation of border controls, especially within parts of Europe participating in the Schengen Agreement. As some people may be more inclined to use illicit substances during holiday periods and some may even choose to travel to destinations that are associated with drug use — a phenomenon sometimes referred to as ‘drug tourism’ — this means that from a European drug policy perspective the issue of drug use and travel has become more important. This Thematic paper examines travellers and drug use, with a focus on Europeans travelling within Europe, although some other relevant destinations are also included. For the purpose of this publication, a ‘traveller’ is defined as someone who goes abroad for reasons ranging from a weekend visit to a music festival or a short holiday, through to backpacking for longer periods. Using drugs in a foreign country can be associated with additional risks and consequences. For example, while drug use anywhere may lead to adverse health consequences, using drugs abroad can be associated with increased risks due to additional uncertainties regarding the composition and purity of the substances and the lack of knowledge of local health and social services. In addition, under the influence of drugs, tourists may also engage in behaviours that put them at risk of various medical conditions, accidents and risky sexual practices. They also risk arrest and imprisonment for possessing, using, selling or smuggling drugs into and out of a country. Local populations may also be negatively affected. While visitors bring income to the host countries, drug use by some may lead to antisocial behaviour and public nuisance, an increase in those requiring health and social services, and the presence of gangs controlling the drug trade, thus putting pressure on the local law enforcement, health and social services. Little is known about the issue of drug use by travellers. This Thematic paper seeks to increase the interest in this topic both in terms of research and of developing adequate responses to problems related to drugs and travel. The paper aims to shed some light on this topic by investigating the following five questions: What is the profile of those who travel and use drugs? Which destinations have been associated with drug use among travellers? What is the prevalence of drug use among travellers? What are the risks associated with using drugs while travelling? What is the potential for prevention interventions? Information for this publication was collected from online reference resources, such as PubMed and Scopus, and with the help of Internet search engines. In addition, six Reitox national focal points (1) provided information about drugs and travel in their countries and about drug use among their citizens while the latter are travelling. These countries are presented as examples in the following pages but they should not be considered as necessarily having more extensive travel and drug use problems than other European countries.

Details: Lisbon: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2012. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2012 at: http://www.ofdt.fr/BDD/publications/docs/OEDT1209travellers.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.ofdt.fr/BDD/publications/docs/OEDT1209travellers.pdf

Shelf Number: 126328

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (Europe)
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Tourists

Author: UK Drug Policy Commission

Title: A Fresh Approach to Drugs: The Final Report of the UK Drug Policy Commission

Summary: We all have an interest in knowing which policies work in tackling problems associated with drug use. Many members of the public, and many politicians, believe that our drug policies are not working. But the debate about how we address the challenges of mind-altering drugs is polarised in a way not seen in most other policy areas. The UK Drug Policy Commission was established to address these problems in a different way. Its aim has been to show how independent scrutiny of evidence can produce both better results and more effective use of resources in drug policy and practice. Existing drug policies have struggled to limit the damage drug use can cause, and now new challenges are emerging. The rapid development of new drugs is changing drug markets too quickly for the traditional methods we use to control drugs to be effective. The economic crisis may be impacting on the nature of drug use and drug problems and, with fewer resources, the capacity of services to respond will be limited further. Added to that, the speed and scale at which services are being devolved to a local level may create increasing and unpredictable variations in the kind of services offered in different parts of the UK. In this report, UKDPC proposes a radical rethink of how we structure our response to drug problems. It provides an analysis of the evidence for how policies and interventions could be improved, with recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to address the new and established challenges associated with drug use. UKDPC aims to foster a fresh approach to drug policy: one in which evidence takes priority, creating light rather than heat in the debate on drugs, so that we can create an environment that works to reduce dependence on drugs, safeguards communities and delivers value for money.

Details: London: UK Drug Policy Commission, 2012. 89p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2012 at: http://www.ukdpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/a-fresh-approach-to-drugs-the-final-report-of-the-uk-drug-policy-commission.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.ukdpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/a-fresh-approach-to-drugs-the-final-report-of-the-uk-drug-policy-commission.pdf

Shelf Number: 126760

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (U.K.)
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: Leiken, Robert S.

Title: Mexico's Drug War

Summary: Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón staked his presidency on a military campaign against the country’s crime syndicates, deploying half of Mexico’s combat ready troops and tens of thousands of federal police in 18 states. The conflict has caused 50,000 deaths, more than five times what America has lost in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. In Washington, several high officials and political leaders assert that Mexico faces an insurgency that may require American military assistance. But is Mexico’s “war” a low intensity conflict or a high intensity crime scene? Does Mexico face a “criminal insurgency” or a turf war? Does the situation present a national security threat or a law enforcement crisis? Should it be addressed primarily by the military or the police? Should the U.S. be sending military or police advisors? Is the current death toll an inevitable by-product of strategic progress or a signal of failure?

Details: Washington, DC: Center for the National Interest, 2012. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2012 at: http://www.cftni.org/42460_CNI_web.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Mexico

URL: http://www.cftni.org/42460_CNI_web.pdf

Shelf Number: 126798

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Cartels
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drug War (Mexico)
Organized Crime

Author: Micolta, Patricia

Title: Illicit Interest Groups: The Political Impact of The Medellin Drug Trafficking Organizations in Colombia

Summary: Although drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) exist and have an effect on health, crime, economies, and politics, little research has explored these entities as political organizations. Legal interest groups and movements have been found to influence domestic and international politics because they operate within legal parameters. Illicit groups, such as DTOs, have rarely been accounted for—especially in the literature on interest groups—though they play a measurable role in affecting domestic and international politics in similar ways. Using an interest group model, this dissertation analyzed DTOs as illicit interest groups (IIGs) to explain their political influence. The analysis included a study of group formation, development, and demise that examined IIG motivation, organization, and policy impact. The data for the study drew from primary and secondary sources, which include interviews with former DTO members and government officials, government documents, journalistic accounts, memoirs, and academic research. To illustrate the interest group model, the study examined Medellin-based DTO leaders, popularly known as the "Medellin Cartel." In particular, the study focused on the external factors that gave rise to DTOs in Colombia and how Medellin DTOs reacted to the implementation of counternarcotics efforts. The discussion was framed by the implementation of the 1979 Extradition Treaty negotiated between Colombia and the United States. The treaty was significant because as drug trafficking became the principal bilateral issue in the 1980s; extradition became a major method of combating the illicit drug business. The study's findings suggested that Medellin DTO leaders had a one-issue agenda and used a variety of political strategies to influence public opinion and all three branches of government—the judicial, the legislative, and the executive—in an effort to invalidate the 1979 Extradition Treaty. The changes in the life cycle of the 1979 Extradition Treaty correlated with changes in the political power of Medellin-based DTOs vis-à-vis the Colombian government, and international forces such as the U.S. government's push for tougher counternarcotics efforts.

Details: Miami, FL: Florida International University, 2012. 290p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 25, 2012 at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1732&context=etd

Year: 2012

Country: Colombia

URL: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1732&context=etd

Shelf Number: 126806

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking (Colombia)
Medellin Cartel
Narcotics Control
Organized Crime

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Drug Control: State Approaches Taken to Control Access to Key Methamphetamine Ingredient Show Varied Impact on Domestic Drug Labs

Summary: Meth can be made by anyone using easily obtainable household goods and consumer products in labs, posing significant public safety and health risks and financial burdens to local communities and states where the labs are found. Meth cooks have discovered new, easier ways to make more potent meth that require the use of precursor chemicals such as PSE. Some states have implemented electronic tracking systems that can be used to track PSE sales and determine if individuals comply with legal PSE purchase limits. Two states, along with select localities in another state, have made products containing PSE available to consumers by prescription only. GAO was asked to review issues related to meth. Thus, GAO examined, among other things, (1) the trends in domestic meth lab incidents over the last decade; (2) the impact of electronic tracking systems on meth lab incidents and limitations of this approach, if any; and (3) the impact of prescription-only laws on meth lab incidents and any implications of adopting this approach for consumers and the health care system. GAO analyzed data such as data on meth lab incidents and PSE product sales and prescriptions. GAO also reviewed studies and drug threat assessments and interviewed state and local officials from six states that had implemented these approaches. These states were selected on the basis of the type of approach chosen, length of time the approach had been in use, and the number of meth lab incidents. The observations from these states are not generalizable, but provided insights on how the approaches worked in practice.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2013. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource:L GAO-13-204: Accessed February 22, 2013 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/651709.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/651709.pdf

Shelf Number: 127706

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Methamphetamine (U.S.)
Methamphetamine Labs

Author: International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC)

Title: International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety

Summary: The ICPC’s 2012 International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety presents key subjects on the international agenda regarding crime and violence, highlighting forms in which prevention can address these issues to generate more resilient and cohesive communities around the world. The third edition of the Report focuses on five topics of significance for crime prevention policymaking at the international level: Human Trafficking, Informal Settlements, Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Areas, Drug Production in Developed Countries and ICPC’s own Global Survey on Safety in Cities. It analyses these issues from the prevention perspective and contributes to the larger debate on responses to crime using ICPC’s 18 years of expertize in the field. The International Report provides information and tools to help governments, local authorities, international organizations and other actors implement successful crime prevention policies in their countries, cities and communities.

Details: Montreal: ICPC, 2012. 180p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2013 at: http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/en/publications/report/report/article/translate-to-english-rapport-international-2012-sur-la-prevention-de-la-criminalite-et-la-secu.html

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/en/publications/report/report/article/translate-to-english-rapport-international-2012-sur-la-prevention-de-la-criminalite-et-la-secu.html

Shelf Number: 128012

Keywords:
Crime Prevention
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs and Crime
Human Trafficking

Author: Collins, John, ed.

Title: Governing The Global Drug Wars

Summary: International drug control efforts began in 1909, with the aim of eradicating the abuse of certain drugs by controlling their supply. A complex international system of enforcement grew up based on this belief in supply control. A century on, the empirical data is available and overwhelming: the system has failed. Worse, it has become increasingly clear that the human cost of pursuing many of its policies renders them unjustifiable. From mass incarceration in the United States and Asia, to the HIV/AIDS epidemic flooding Russia and the waves of violence rippling through Latin America – current global drug policies are worsening current global drug problems. This is no longer a point of controversy, but as Joseph Spillane suggests, is something which ‘no serious scholar questions’. Nevertheless, driven by a mixture of bureaucratic and ideological inertia, the international drug control system, governed through the UN and enforced by a number of core states, continues to pursue many of the same failed policies. This report asks why the system evolved in the way that it did, and explores the potential for reform. Often, those seeking to understand the complex and opaque international drug control system look to the wording of its various conventions and governing treaties – both of which are open to wide interpretation. However, as William McAllister points out, the system evolved through complex diplomatic, bureaucratic, social and interpersonal forces. It is only through an understanding of these broader forces that we can properly explain how the system was constructed and why it continues to function in the way that it does. Building on this discussion of historical complexity, David Courtwright examines the reasons why some drugs have traditionally been the subjects of ‘war,’ while others have become deeply ingrained in the mainstream economy. This is a question expanded upon by James Mill’s survey of the questionable scientific evidence underpinning cannabis’ co-option into international controls. As Joseph Spillane’s analysis shows, in order to better understand current international drug policies we should focus more attention on the considerable harms that these policies create. In particular he suggests that researchers should concentrate on the wealth of evidence available from the daily experience of contemporary drug addicts, which reveals the, often-harrowing impacts of the various drug wars. Paul Gootenberg analyses the interaction between international policies and shifting cocaine ‘commodity chains’ in Latin America over the last century, culminating in the current Mexican crisis. In so doing, he highlights a seemingly inherent tendency of international drug policy makers to create larger and more violent problems than their interdictionist policies resolve. Former Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss and her colleague Diane Steber evaluate Switzerland’s interaction with the international system, highlighting the pressure exerted on states trying to pursue policies outside the traditional supply-centric paradigm. David Bewley-Taylor then examines ‘the UNGASS decade’ between 1998 and 2008, when the international community committed itself to achieving ‘a drug free world’. He argues that the consensus that characterised this period is now fracturing as nation states are more openly pursuing alternative approaches. In the final section of this report we look towards the future of the system and highlight specific areas in need of immediate reform. Damon Barrett shows that the current system is lacking in basic human rights oversight, and as a result is permitting systematic human rights abuses. Joanne Csete focuses on the International Narcotics Control Board’s (INCB) support for unscientific policies internationally and its refusal to endorse best practice public health policies, particularly around HIV/AIDS prevention. She argues that the INCB remains ‘the most closed and least transparent of any entity supported by the United Nations.’ The machinery of international drug control has solidified around outdated modes of thinking and failed policies. Despite this, it has proved remarkably successful at restricting policy experimentation worldwide and encouraging the continuation of counterproductive approaches. Two steps need to be taken. First, there need to be immediate measures to incorporate basic human rights standards and improve the level of oversight within the system. This is particularly urgent in the areas of international funding decisions and the operation of the INCB. Second, an independent root and branch review of the approach to, and apparatus governing, international drug control needs to be conducted with a view to long-term structural reforms. Such a review must begin with a deep understanding of the historical forces that have shaped and continue to underpin the current policies and system. This report should serve as a starting point.

Details: London: London School of Economics, 2012. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource: LSE Ideas; Special Report SR014: : Accessed March 25, 2013 at: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/SR014.aspx

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/SR014.aspx

Shelf Number: 128121

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation
Drug War (International)

Author: Insulza, Jose Miguel

Title: The Drug Problem in the Americas

Summary: The Heads of State and Government of the Americas, gathered at the Sixth Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, entrusted the OAS with the task of preparing a study on the drug problem in the Americas. In keeping with the wishes of the dignitaries, that study will examine the results of current policy in the Hemisphere and explore new approaches for responding more effectively to the problem. Under the leadership of OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, this study aims to carry out a comprehensive analysis of policies applied in the Americas, and, based on the evidence found, highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges in the implementation of those policies. The findings of the study will provide the basis for a scenario analysis with a view to examining new approaches. The Secretary General is coordinating with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the CAF (Development Bank of Latin America), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The CICAD Executive Secretariat is providing technical and administrative support for the study. Two tracks The study consists of two separate, but interconnected reports: An analytical report will survey the current drug policy landscape by drawing on existing expertise (governments, civil society, academia or think tanks) and synthesizing lessons learned and a spectrum of policy options. A scenarios report aims to map out potential outcomes of several sets of policy options when exposed to a broad discussion of stakeholders in the drug problem in the Americas The technical secretariat will compile and analyze the information for the study, which will be divided into the following chapters consistent with the different areas of the problem targeted by the study: a.The relationship between drugs and public health; b.The relationship between drugs and economic and social development; c.The security challenges as reflected in the nexus between drugs, violence and organized crime; d.Production and supply of plant-based and synthetic drugs, pharmaceuticals, and chemical precursors; and e.The alternative legal and regulatory approaches to the drug problem. Each chapter will provide baseline analysis of the current state of play in the region, examine best practices and promising new approaches being pursued by different countries, with the point of departure being the Hemispheric Drug Strategy, and outline challenges and obstacles to improved results. Based on the findings of the Analytical Report, an exercise will be undertaken to identify diverse approaches to the problem. To that end, potential scenarios will be developed, capable of providing the Heads of State and Government of the Americas with courses of action for tackling the drug problem.

Details: Washington, DC: Organization of American States, General Secretariat, 2013. 110p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2013 at: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/press/Introduction_and_Analytical_Report.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: South America

URL: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/press/Introduction_and_Analytical_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 128764

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs and Crime (America)

Author: Organization of American States. Scenario Team

Title: Scenarios for the Drug Problem in the Americas 2013 – 2025

Summary: These scenarios are stories about what could happen in the future – not what will happen (forecasts) or what should happen (policy recommendations) but what could happen over the coming years in and around the hemispheric drug ‘system’, based on current trends and including relevant political, economic, social, cultural, and international dynamics. For the construction of these “Scenarios for the Drug Problem in the Americas, 2013 – 2025,” a team of outstanding individuals from security, business, health, education, indigenous cultures, international organizations, the justice system, civil society, and politics, including former and current government officials from across the Americas, gathered together for two meetings of intense conversation. They created four scenarios based on their own diverse experiences and understandings; on an Analytical Report prepared by a team of leading experts; and on a set of interviews of 75 leaders from across the Hemisphere, including current and former Heads of Government. These very different stories of the possible evolution of the current situation are intended to be relevant, challenging, credible, and clear in order to be useful in strategic conversations of leaders about the best ways to address the problems of drugs in the Americas. The purpose of the stories is to provide a common framework and language to support dialogue, debate, and decision-making among Heads of Government and other actors, within and across countries. They are intended to support an open and constructive search for answers to core questions of drug policy and strategy: What opportunities and challenges are we and could we be facing? What are our options? What shall we do to better respond to the drug problem in the Americas? Scenarios play a very particular role in strategic planning. Because they are stories – that is, fictions – and because they come in sets of two or more different, plausible stories, they offer the political advantage of supporting informed debate without committing anyone to any particular policy position. Scenarios enable us to deal with the reality that although we cannot predict or control the future, we can work with and influence it. More specifically, scenarios are used to support the formation of policy and strategy through the use of scenario-based dialogues. The purpose of such dialogues is not to redo the construction of the scenarios, but rather to use the scenarios as they are written to discover what can and must be done. The most fruitful dialogues of this kind involve a representative group of interested and influential actors from all across the whole system in question. (This system can be a government, city, sector, community, nation, or region, for example.) Diversity is important – not just friends and colleagues but also strangers and opponents. There are four key steps for this kind of scenario-based dialogue. First, the scenarios are presented through text, slide presentation, storytelling, or video. Second, for each scenario the group addresses the question, “If this scenario occurred, what would it mean for us?” and works out the opportunities and challenges the scenario poses. Third, the group deals with the question, “If this scenario occurred, what could we do? What options do we have?” Finally, the group steps back to the present and considers the question, “Given these possible futures, what shall we do next?”

Details: Washington, DC: OAS, 2013. 80p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2013 at: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/press/Scenarios_Report.PDF

Year: 2013

Country: South America

URL: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/press/Scenarios_Report.PDF

Shelf Number: 128768

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addictions (Americas)
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking

Author: Seddon, Toby

Title: Regulating Global Drug Problems

Summary: The problems associated with the global drug trade are amongst the most challenging and intractable of all those facing policy-makers. The global drug prohibition system is widely acknowledged as a costly and counterproductive failure, not only presiding over a massive expansion of the problem but also causing a range of damaging side-effects, notably fuelling organised crime. The need for new thinking has never been more evident. It is argued that current arguments for drug policy reform, whilst highly effective at critiquing prohibition, are nevertheless based on a false understanding of the nature of markets and regulation. This paper sets out an alternative constitutive conception of drug control which not only provides a better basis for challenging prohibition but also a more fruitful framework for developing an alternative approach. It is suggested that the regulation perspective outlined in this paper represents a new paradigm for addressing the challenges presented by global psychoactive commerce in the early twenty-first century.

Details: Canberra: Australian National University, Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet), 2013. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: RegNet Research Paper No. 2013/6 : Accessed June 1, 2013 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2261026

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2261026

Shelf Number: 128889

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation

Author: Gallahue, Patrick

Title: Partners in Crime: International Funding for Drug Control and Gross Violations of Human Rights

Summary: “Partners in Crime: International Funding for Drug Control and Gross Violations of Human Rights” documents how millions of dollars in drug enforcement funding and technical assistance are spent in countries with grave human rights concerns. Donor states include the United States, Australia Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the European Union. Human rights abuses in the context of drug enforcement are well documented, but in the name of drug control, donor states are routinely supporting practices in other countries that they themselves regard as morally reprehensible and illegal, including executions, arbitrary detention, slave labour and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, sometimes amounting to torture. Using the examples of the death penalty and abusive drug detention centres, this report shows just how little regard is given to human rights in drug enforcement funding and co-operation, including when such funds are passed through the United Nations.

Details: London: Harm Reduction International, 2012. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: http://www.ihra.net/files/2012/06/22/Partners_in_Crime_web1.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.ihra.net/files/2012/06/22/Partners_in_Crime_web1.pdf

Shelf Number: 129207

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation
Human Rights

Author: Global Commission on Drug Policy

Title: The War on Drugs and HIV/AIDS: How the Criminalization of Drug Use Fuels the Global Pandemic

Summary: The global war on drugs is driving the HIV/AIDS pandemic among people who use drugs and their sexual partners. Throughout the world, research has consistently shown that repressive drug law enforcement practices force drug users away from public health services and into hidden environments where HIV risk becomes markedly elevated. Mass incarceration of non-violent drug offenders also plays a major role in increasing HIV risk. This is a critical public health issue in many countries, including the United States, where as many as 25 percent of Americans infected with HIV may pass through correctional facilities annually, and where disproportionate incarceration rates are among the key reasons for markedly higher HIV rates among African Americans. Aggressive law enforcement practices targeting drug users have also been proven to create barriers to HIV treatment. Despite the evidence that treatment of HIV infection dramatically reduces the risk of HIV transmission by infected individuals, the public health implications of HIV treatment disruptions resulting from drug law enforcement tactics have not been appropriately recognized as a major impediment to efforts to control the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The war on drugs has also led to a policy distortion whereby evidence-based addiction treatment and public health measures have been downplayed or ignored. While this is a common problem internationally, a number of specific countries, including the US, Russia and Thailand, ignore scientific evidence and World Health Organization recommendations and resist the implementation of evidence-based HIV prevention programs – with devastating consequences. In Russia, for example, approximately one in one hundred adults is now infected with HIV. In contrast, countries that have adopted evidence-based addiction treatment and public health measures have seen their HIV epidemics among people who use drugs – as well as rates of injecting drug use – dramatically decline. Clear consensus guidelines exist for achieving this success, but HIV prevention tools have been under-utilized while harmful drug war policies have been slow to change.

Details: Rio de Janeiro: Global Commission on Drug Policy, 2012. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 10, 2013 at: http://globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/themes/gcdp_v1/pdf/GCDP_HIV-AIDS_2012_REFERENCE.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/themes/gcdp_v1/pdf/GCDP_HIV-AIDS_2012_REFERENCE.pdf

Shelf Number: 129353

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy
HIV (Viruses)
War on Drugs (International)

Author: Murray, Chad

Title: Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations and Marijuana: The Potential Effects of U.S. Legalization

Summary: Mexico's drug war has claimed more than 30,000 lives since 2006. The intensity and duration of this violence has produced an environment in which “few Mexican citizens feel safer today than they did ten years ago, and most believe that their government is losing the fight.” However, the problem of drug violence in Mexico is not domestic, but transnational in nature. President Barack Obama recently noted that “we are very mindful that the battle President Calderón is fighting inside of Mexico is not just his battle; it's also ours. We have to take responsibility just as he is taking responsibility.” It is U.S. demand for illicit drugs that provides the primary incentive for Mexican narcotics trafficking. Therefore, there is a possibility that a change in U.S. drug policy could negatively affect the revenues of Mexican DTOs, and even their ability to wage violence. This paper will examine the validity of that argument, as well as several of the issues that would accompany such a fundamental policy shift. The purpose of this report is to evaluate current U.S. policy on marijuana, extract lessons learned from policy changes in other countries, analyze the effects that legalization of marijuana in the United States might have on Mexican DTOs, and provide recommendations for future U.S. policies. Current U.S. laws will serve as a starting point to determine if existing decriminalization or medicinal marijuana reforms have had any impact on Mexican DTOs. After examining what effects, if any, these policies have had, reforms in other countries will be examined. From the case studies of Portugal, the Netherlands, and Mexico, lessons will be drawn to give context to any possible ramifications or benefits of U.S. marijuana legalization. Finally, concrete recommendations will be made on whether recent marijuana policy reforms should be maintained, improved, or repealed.

Details: Washington, DC: George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, 2011. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: Elliott School of International Affairs/Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission: Capstone Report: Accessed July 13, 2013 at: http://elliott.gwu.edu/assets/docs/acad/lahs/mexico-marijuana-071111.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://elliott.gwu.edu/assets/docs/acad/lahs/mexico-marijuana-071111.pdf

Shelf Number: 129388

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Legalization
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
Marijuana

Author: Linnemann, Travis

Title: Beyond the Ghetto: Methamphetamine and Punishment of Rural America

Summary: Since the early 1970s, the United States has grown increasingly reliant on the criminal justice system to manage a wide array of social problems. Aggressive drug control policies and an over-reliance on imprisonment helped produce the world's largest prison and correctional population, often described as mass imprisonment. Within this context, the study provides an explanatory account of the political, cultural, and social conditions that encourage states like Kansas to pursue methamphetamine as a major public concern, and to a greater degree than other states with relatively higher meth problems. Ultimately, and most important, the study makes a theoretical contribution by demonstrating how meth control efforts, analogous to previous drug control campaigns, extends punitive drug control rationalities to new cultural contexts and social terrains beyond the so-called ghetto of the inner city, thereby reinforcing and extending the logics of mass imprisonment.

Details: Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University, 2011. 248p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 23, 2013 at: http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/12021/TravisLinnemann2011.pdf?sequence=5

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/12021/TravisLinnemann2011.pdf?sequence=5

Shelf Number: 131676

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Methamphetamine (U.S.)
Punishment
Rural Areas

Author: Bewley-Taylor, Dave

Title: The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition: The History of Cannabis in the UN Drug Control System and Options for Reform

Summary: The cannabis plant has been used for spiritual, medicinal and recreational purposes since the early days of civilization. In this report the Transnational Institute and the Global Drug Policy Observatory describe in detail the history of international control and how cannabis was included in the current UN drug control system. Cannabis was condemned by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as a psychoactive drug with "particularly dangerous properties" and hardly any therapeutic value. Ever since, an increasing number of countries have shown discomfort with the treaty regime's strictures through soft defections, stretching its legal flexibility to sometimes questionable limits. Today's political reality of regulated cannabis markets in Uruguay, Washington and Colorado operating at odds with the UN conventions puts the discussion about options for reform of the global drug control regime on the table. Now that the cracks in the Vienna consensus have reached the point of treaty breach, this discussion is no longer a reformist fantasy. Easy options, however, do not exist; they all entail procedural complications and political obstacles. A coordinated initiative by a group of like-minded countries agreeing to assess possible routes and deciding on a road map for the future seems the most likely scenario for moving forward. There are good reasons to question the treaty-imposed prohibition model for cannabis control. Not only is the original inclusion of cannabis within the current framework the result of dubious procedures, but the understanding of the drug itself, the dynamics of illicit markets, and the unintended consequences of repressive drug control strategies has increased enormously. The prohibitive model has failed to have any sustained impact in reducing the market, while imposing heavy burdens upon criminal justice systems; producing profoundly negative social and public health impacts; and creating criminal markets supporting organised crime, violence and corruption. After long accommodating various forms of deviance from its prohibitive ethos, like turning a blind eye to illicit cannabis markets, decriminalisation of possession for personal use, coffeeshops, cannabis social clubs and generous medical marijuana schemes, the regime has now reached a moment of truth. The current policy trend towards legal regulation of the cannabis market as a more promising model for protecting people's health and safety has changed the drug policy landscape and the terms of the debate. The question facing the international community today is no longer whether or not there is a need to reassess and modernize the UN drug control system, but rather when and how to do it.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute; Swansea, UK: Research Institute for Arts and Humanities, Swansea University, 2014. 88p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2014 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/rise_and_decline_web.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/rise_and_decline_web.pdf

Shelf Number: 131900

Keywords:
Cannabis
Decriminalization
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Drug Prohibition
Marijuana

Author: Baldwin, Simon

Title: Drug Policy Advocacy in Asia: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects

Summary: This report was commissioned by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), with the support of Australian Aid, for the purpose of developing a better understanding of drug policy advocacy activity in 10 Asian countries: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It aims to achieve three goals: - Identify organisations engaged in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy - Identify gaps and challenges in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy that remain to be addressed - Develop recommendations for prioritising new activities in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy. The report does not provide an exhaustive review of drug policy content, rather it focuses on the process of drug policy making and attempts to understand the relationships between key stakeholders, including both policy makers and policy advocates, engaged in policy processes at local and regional level. The report combines data collected from published reports with key informant interviews to draw its conclusions.

Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2013. 66p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2014 at: http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64663568/library/IDPC-report-drug-policy-in-South-East-Asia.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Asia

URL: http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64663568/library/IDPC-report-drug-policy-in-South-East-Asia.pdf

Shelf Number: 131995

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Title: Regional Programme for Southeast Asia 2014 - 2017. Promoting the Rule of Law and Health to Address Drugs and Crime in Southeast Asia

Summary: The Regional Programme (RP) outlines the proposed scope and focus of UNODC's work in Southeast Asia from 2014 to 2017. It provides a framework for delivering a coherent programme of work to: (i) give clear focus to supporting Member States and regional partners in achieving priority crime and drug outcomes in the region; and (ii) increase the responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of UNODC's support to the region. The RP focuses primarily on regional crime and drug challenges that are best addressed through coordinated cross-border and intra-regional cooperation. UNODC Country Programs (where they exist) are linked to the Regional Programme and focus on specific national level needs and support requirements. The RP is supported by an expert team that ensures consistency of approach and the sharing of expertise between jurisdictions. The proposed programme of work has been developed in close consultation with countries of the region and other regional partners, and the situation analysis includes: A profile of UNODC's global strategy, governing bodies and mandates A brief description of the broad regional development context An overview of the key drugs and crime challenges facing the region. Particular attention is given to: (i) transnational organised crime and illicit trafficking; (ii) anti-corruption; (iii) terrorism prevention; (iv) criminal justice; and (v) drugs and health, and alternative development A profile of regional institutions and initiatives relevant to UNODC's mandates and work.

Details: Bangkok: UNODC, 2014. 84p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2014 at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/southeastasiaandpacific/Publications/2013/SEA_RP_masterversion_6_11_13.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Asia

URL: https://www.unodc.org/documents/southeastasiaandpacific/Publications/2013/SEA_RP_masterversion_6_11_13.pdf

Shelf Number: 132196

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drugs and Crime
Organized Crime

Author: LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy

Title: Ending the Drug Wars

Summary: A major rethink of international drug policies is under way. The failure of the UN to achieve its goal of 'a drug free world' and the continuation of enormous collateral damage from excessively militarised and enforcement-led drug policies, has led to growing calls for an end to the 'war on drugs'. For decades the UN-centred drug control system has sought to enforce a uniform set of prohibitionist oriented policies often at the expense of other, arguably more effective policies that incorporate broad frameworks of public health and illicit market management. Now the consensus that underpinned this system is breaking apart and there is a new trajectory towards accepting global policy pluralism and that different policies will work for different countries and regions. The question, however, remains, how do states work together to improve global drug policies? This report highlights two approaches. First, drastically reallocating resources away from counterproductive and damaging policies towards proven public health policies. Second, pursuing rigorously monitored policy and regulatory experimentation.

Details: London: LSE (London School of Economics) Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy, 2014. 84p.

Source: Internet Resource: http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/EndingDrugWarsFINAL.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/EndingDrugWarsFINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 132283

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Illicit Drugs
War on Drugs

Author: Subramanian, Ram

Title: Drug War Detente? A Review of State-level Drug Law Reform, 2009-2013

Summary: From 2009 through 2013, more than 30 states passed nearly 50 bills changing how their criminal justice systems define and enforce drug offenses. In reviewing this legislative activity, the Vera Institute of Justice's Center on Sentencing and Corrections found that most efforts have focused on making change in one or a combination of the following five areas: mandatory penalties, drug sentencing schemes, early release mechanisms, community-based sanctions, and collateral consequences. By providing concise summaries of representative legislation in each area, this review aims to be a practical guide for policymakers in other states and the federal government looking to enact similar reforms.

Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2014. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2014 at: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/state-drug-law-reform-review-2009-2013.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/state-drug-law-reform-review-2009-2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 132328

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy
Drug Reform
Illicit Drugs
Sentencing
War on Drugs

Author: Freeman, Laurie

Title: Troubling Patterns: The Mexican Military and the War on Drugs

Summary: The Mexican military has a dominant and expanding role in Mexico's war on drugs. As its role grows, so does its relationship with the US military, due to their common counter-drug mission. US organizations working to promote human rights and democracy in Mexico are concerned about human rights violations committed by the Mexican military in the drug war, as well as possible implications for US policy and the military-to-military relationship. By analyzing 27 cases of human rights violations committed by the Mexican military during anti-drug activities from 1996 to the present, this study has identified distinct patterns of military abuse in the context of anti-drug efforts. The cases in this study show that: The Mexican military's involvement in the drug war has led to human rights abuses; There is no adequate system to address these abuses when they occur; and The Leahy Law is not being adequately implemented by the US Embassy to ensure that US training and assistance are not provided to Mexican military units that have been implicated in human rights violations.

Details: Washington, DC: Latin America Working Group, 2002. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2014 at: http://www.lawg.org/storage/documents/troubling%20patterns%20the%20war%20on%20drugs%202002.pdf

Year: 2002

Country: Mexico

URL: http://www.lawg.org/storage/documents/troubling%20patterns%20the%20war%20on%20drugs%202002.pdf

Shelf Number: 132336

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Human Rights Abuses
War on Drugs

Author: Kramer, Tom

Title: Bouncing Back: Relapse in the Golden Triangle

Summary: The illicit drug market in the Golden Triangle - Burma, Thailand and Laos - and in neighbouring India and China has undergone profound changes. This report documents those changes in great detail, based on information gathered on the ground in difficult circumstances by a group of dedicated local researchers. After a decade of decline, opium cultivation has doubled again and there has also been a rise in the production and consumption of ATS - especially methamphetamines. Drug control agencies are under constant pressure to apply policies based on the unachievable goal to make the region drug free by 2015. This report argues for drug policy changes towards a focus on health, development, peace building and human rights. Reforms to decriminalise the most vulnerable people involved could make the region's drug policies far more sustainable and cost-effective. Such measures should include abandoning disproportionate criminal sanctions, rescheduling mild substances, prioritising access to essential medicines, shifting resources from law enforcement to social services, alternative development and harm reduction, and providing evidence-based voluntary treatment services for those who need them. The aspiration of a drug free ASEAN in 2015 is not realistic and the policy goals and resources should be redirected towards a harm reduction strategy for managing - instead of eliminating - the illicit drug market in the least harmful way. In view of all the evidence this report presents about the bouncing back of the opium economy and the expanding ATS market, plus all the negative consequences of the repressive drug control approaches applied so far, making any other choice would be irresponsible.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2014. 116p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2014: http://www.tni.org/briefing/bouncing-back

Year: 2014

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.tni.org/briefing/bouncing-back

Shelf Number: 132462

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy
Illicit Drugs
Opium

Author: International Crisis Group

Title: Corridor of Violence: the Guatemala-Honduras Border

Summary: Competition between criminal groups over drug routes has made the frontier between Guatemala and Honduras one of the most violent areas in Central America, with murder rates among the highest in the world. In the absence of effective law enforcement, traffickers have become de facto authorities in some sectors. Crisis Group's latest report, Corridor of Violence: The Guatemala-Honduras Border, examines the regional dynamics that have allowed criminal gangs to thrive and outlines the main steps necessary to prevent further violence as well as to advance peaceful economic and social development. The report's major findings and recommendations are: - The border corridor includes hotly contested routes for transporting drugs to the U.S. Traffickers, with their wealth and firepower, dominate some portions. On both sides of the border, violence, lawlessness and corruption are rampant, poverty rates and unemployment are high, and citizens lack access to state services. - The arrest of local drug lords has been a mixed blessing to local populations, as the fracturing of existing groups has allowed a new generation of sometimes more violent criminals to emerge. - To prevent further violence, an urgent shift in national policies is needed. The governments should send not just troops and police to border regions, but also educators, community organisers and social and health workers. If criminal structures are to be disrupted and trust in the state restored, these regions need credible, legitimate actors - public and private - capable of providing security, accountability, jobs and hope for the future. - Guatemala and Honduras should learn from other countries facing similar security threats. The Borders for Prosperity Plan in Colombia and the Binational Border Plan in Ecuador and Peru can serve as examples for economic and social development in insecure areas. The U.S., Latin American countries and multilateral organisations should provide funds, training and technical support to embattled border communities to help them prevent violence and strengthen local institutions via education and job opportunities.

Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2014. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Latin America Report No. 52: Accessed June 16, 2014 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/Guatemala/052-corridor-of-violence-the-guatemala-honduras-border.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Latin America

URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/Guatemala/052-corridor-of-violence-the-guatemala-honduras-border.pdf

Shelf Number: 132467

Keywords:
Border Security
Criminal Networks
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Drug-Related Violence
Gangs
Organized Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Room, Robin

Title: Roadmaps to Reforming the UN Drug Conventions

Summary: The three UN Drug Conventions of 1961, 1971 and 1988 currently impose a 'one-size-fits-all' prohibitionist approach to drug policy throughout the world. This report, released December 2012, explains in detail how the Conventions could be amended in order to give countries greater freedom to adopt drug policies better suited to their special needs. In particular, the report details the treaty amendments that would be necessary if a country (or, better, a group of countries working together) wished to experiment with either of the following options: i) clear and explicit decriminalisation of the possession of one or more currently controlled substances for personal use ii) the creation of a regulated, non-medical market in one or more controlled substances.

Details: London: Beckley Foundation, 2012. 179p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2014 at: http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/Roadmaps-to-Reform.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/Roadmaps-to-Reform.pdf

Shelf Number: 132526

Keywords:
Decriminalization
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Regulation

Author: Mansfield, David

Title: "From Bad They Made It Worse": The concentration of opium poppy in areas of conflict in the provinces of Helmand and Nangarhar

Summary: Levels of drug crop cultivation have long been seen as an indicator of the success or failure of counternarcotics efforts. However, to rely on this indicator is to misunderstand the socioeconomic and political processes that support farmers moving out of opium poppy cultivation, as well as the limited scope of many interventions currently categorized and budgeted as "counternarcotics" by the international community and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA).

Details: Kabul: Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, 2014. 92p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://www.areu.org.af/Uploads/EditionPdfs/NRM%20CS6%20ver%202%20(2).pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Afghanistan

URL: http://www.areu.org.af/Uploads/EditionPdfs/NRM%20CS6%20ver%202%20(2).pdf

Shelf Number: 132549

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Opium Poppy Cultivation
Poppy Cultivation

Author: Gomis, Benoit

Title: Illicit Drugs and International Security: Towards UNGASS 2016

Summary: In spite of a decades-long 'war on drugs', the global drug trade persists as a significant problem for international security given its scale, the number of deaths related to trafficking and consumption it creates, and the organized crime and corruption it fuels. The international drug control system has been ineffective in reducing the size of the market and in preventing the emergence of new drugs and drug routes that cause and shift instability around the world. Current drug policies have been counter-productive, often causing more harm than the drugs themselves through capital punishment for offences, widespread incarceration, discrimination in law enforcement, violation of basic human rights in forced 'treatment' centres, and opportunity costs. In the last three years, the drug policy debate has evolved more than in the previous three decades. There remain a number of political obstacles to making recent developments sustainable ahead of the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 2016, but these should not be used as excuses for continuing with a failed status quo.

Details: London: Chatham House, 2014. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Paper: Accessed July 31, 2014 at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/home/chatham/public_html/sites/default/files/0214Drugs_BP2.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/home/chatham/public_html/sites/default/files/0214Drugs_BP2.pdf

Shelf Number: 132853

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
Illicit Drugs
Organized Crime
War on Drugs

Author: Csete, Joanne

Title: Telling the Story of Drugs in West Africa: The newest front in a losing war?

Summary: Key Points - The emergence of significant drug trafficking routes in West Africa, particularly of cocaine from Latin America to European markets, has drawn a great deal of attention from global drug authorities, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the government of the United States, which sees West Africa as a setting for replicating drug-control interventions used in Latin America. - UNODC and US reports have used limited data on drug seizures, drug consumption and drug-related terrorism in West Africa to weave a narrative of a region 'under attack' by unscrupulous drug dealers and seized by rapidly increasing problematic drug use. - These authorities sometimes admit that these data are sketchy, but they nonetheless use this information to make broad generalisations about the urgent need for more policing and other 'drug war' measures. - Though the link between drug trafficking and terrorism in West Africa is not very well established, the US also energises its arguments for repressive drug interventions in West Africa by highlighting this connection. - West Africa undoubtedly has significant drug-related problems that merit an energetic response. - It is, however, legitimate to question whether the hyped-up narrative that has been constructed of a lethal problem is meant to justify placement of military, surveillance and anti-terrorism hardware and software in the region at a time when the US-led 'war on drugs' is losing support within many Latin American countries. Rather than the simple replication of often harmful and ineffective policy interventions applied in Latin America, the response to illicit drugs in West Africa should benefit from a careful reflection about what has and has not worked in other parts of the world.

Details: Swansea, Wales, UK: Swansea University, Global Drug Policy Observatory, 2013. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief 1: Accessed July 31, 2014 at: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/GDPO%20West%20Africa%20digital.pdf%20FINAL.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/GDPO%20West%20Africa%20digital.pdf%20FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 132855

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (West Africa)
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Trafficking
War on Drugs

Author: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

Title: Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan, 2012 and 2013

Summary: The narcotics trade poisons the Afghan financial sector and undermines the Afghan state's legitimacy by stoking corruption, sustaining criminal networks, and providing significant financial support to the Taliban and other insurgent groups. Despite spending over $7 billion to combat opium poppy cultivation and to develop the Afghan government's counternarcotics capacity, opium poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan hit an all-time high in 2013. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Afghan farmers grew an unprecedented 209,000 hectares of opium poppy in 2013, surpassing the previous peak of 193,000 hectares in 2007. With deteriorating security in many parts of rural Afghanistan and low levels of eradication of poppy fields, further increases in cultivation are likely in 2014. As of June 30, 2014, the United States has spent approximately $7.6 billion on counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. Multiple sources of funding support these efforts, including the Department of Defense (DOD) Afghan Security Forces Fund, the State Department's (State) International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement fund, the DOD Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities fund, financial support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development's Economic Support Fund. Counternarcotics efforts include the development of Afghan government counternarcotics capacity, operational support to Afghan counternarcotics forces; encouragement of alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers; financial incentives to Afghan authorities to enforce counternarcotics laws; and, in limited instances, counternarcotics operations conducted by U.S. authorities in coordination with their Afghan counterparts. Despite the significant financial expenditure, opium poppy cultivation has far exceeded previous records. Affordable deep-well technology has turned 200,000 hectares of desert in southwestern Afghanistan into arable land over the past decade. Due to relatively high opium prices and the rise of an inexpensive, skilled, and mobile labor force, much of this newly-arable land is dedicated to opium cultivation. Poppy-growing provinces that were once declared 'poppy free' have seen a resurgence in cultivation. Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, considered a model for successful counterinsurgency and counternarcotics efforts and deemed 'poppy free' by the UNODC in 2008, saw a fourfold increase in opium poppy cultivation between 2012 and 2013. The UNODC estimates that the value of the opium and its derivative products produced in Afghanistan was nearly $3 billion in 2013, up from $2 billion in 2012. This represents an increase of 50 percent in a single year. The attached opium cultivation figures and maps illustrate the increasing cultivation of opium in Afghanistan. Attachment I provides a graph of UNODC poppy cultivation data for 2002 through 2013. The graph includes data for Afghanistan as a whole as well as for two key opium producing provinces. The graph also includes information on some of the factors influencing the cultivation figures. The maps in attachments II and III depict the likely locations and concentrations of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Details: Arlington, VA: Special Inspector's Office, 2014. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: SIGAR-15-10-SP Special Report: Accessed October 23, 2014 at: http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/Special%20Projects/SIGAR-15-10-SP.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Afghanistan

URL: http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/Special%20Projects/SIGAR-15-10-SP.pdf

Shelf Number: 133804

Keywords:
Counter-Narcotics
Drug Control
Narcotics (Afghanistan)
Opium Poppy Cultivation

Author: Sacco, Lisa N.

Title: Drug Enforcement in the United States: History, Policy, and Trends

Summary: The federal government prohibits the manufacturing, distribution, and possession of many intoxicating substances that are solely intended for recreational use (notable exceptions are alcohol and tobacco); however, the federal government also allows for and controls the medical use of many intoxicants. Federal authority to control these substances primarily resides with the Attorney General of the United States. Over the last decade, the United States has shifted its stated drug control policy toward a comprehensive approach; one that focuses on prevention, treatment, and enforcement. In order to restrict and reduce availability of illicit drugs in the United States, a practice referred to as "supply reduction," the federal government continues to place emphasis on domestic drug enforcement. According to the most recent drug control budget (FY2015) released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), approximately 60% of all federal drug control spending is dedicated to supply reduction, with approximately 37% of the total budget dedicated to domestic law enforcement. Federal agencies, primarily the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), enforce federal controlled substances laws in all states and territories, but the majority of drug crimes known to U.S. law enforcement are dealt with at the state level. In the United States in 2012, the DEA arrested 30,476 suspects for federal drug offenses while state and local law enforcement arrested 1,328,457 suspects for drug offenses. In many cases, federal agencies assist state and local agencies with drug arrests, and suspects are referred for state prosecution, and vice-versa. Most drug arrests are made by state and local law enforcement, and most of these arrests are for possession rather than sale or manufacture. In contrast, most federal drug arrests are for trafficking offenses rather than possession. Over the last 25 years the majority of DEA's arrests have been for cocaine-related offenses. Trends in federal drug enforcement may reflect the nation's changing drug problems and changes in the federal response to these problems. They also may reflect the federal government's priorities. Drug cases represent the second highest category of criminal cases filed by U.S. Attorneys; however, federal drug cases have steadily declined over the last decade. This report focuses on domestic drug enforcement. It outlines historic development and major changes in U.S. drug enforcement to help provide an understanding of how and why certain laws and policies were implemented and how these developments and changes shaped current drug enforcement policy. In the 19th century federal, state, and local governments were generally not involved in restricting or regulating drug distribution and use, but this changed substantially in the 20th century as domestic law enforcement became the primary means of controlling the nation's substance abuse problems.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2014. 30p.

Source: Internet Resource: CRS R43749: Accessed November 12, 2014 at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43749.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43749.pdf

Shelf Number: 134066

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement (U.S.)
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy
Drug Regulations
Drug Trafficking
Illegal Drugs

Author: Kavanagh, Camino

Title: Harmonizing Drug Legislation in West Africa - A Call for Minimum Standards

Summary: In 2008 ECOWAS produced a Political Declaration and Regional Action Plan to address the Growing Problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse. In 2013, the Action Plan was formally extended, and priority was placed on the conduct of an extensive review "of existing Member states - legislation with a view to achieving a common minimum standard to ensure sufficient deterrent against illicit trafficking and enhance the use demand reduction strategies to address problem associated with drug use in line with relevant regional and international conventions." As part of that process, the Heads of ECOWAS Drug Control Committees called on the ECOWAS Commission "to harmonize ECOWAS legal texts into a single and up to date regional protocol on drug control and prevention of organized crime." In addition to the ECOWAS initiative, other efforts are underway in the region to harmonize drug legislation. The latter include: i. The Dakar Initiative, a sub-regional initiative signed by seven countries in February 2010. The Initiative intends to support the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan and the Political Declaration. One of the main outcomes of the Dakar Initiative to date is an effort by the Senegalese Ministry of Interior to draft "a document [aimed at] harmoniz[ing] existing national legal instruments at a sub-regional level to fight drug trafficking in a coordinated and more efficient manner." A first draft of the 'harmonization law' was tabled in November 2012. ii. The West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP), a UNODC-backed initiative aimed at improving cooperation in criminal matters in the West African region and serving as a basis for capacity building. The first meeting of the Network was held in May 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d�Ivoire. In January 2013 the West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD) was launched with the purpose of inter alia mobilizing public awareness, and developing evidence-based policy recommendations around drug trafficking and drug consumption and related impacts. Throughout its country visits and in the background papers commissioned to inform its work, WACD Commissioners were repeatedly informed of the significant challenges that persist with regard to drug related legislation in the sub-region, as well as challenges regarding the effective implementation of the legislation. Beyond a range of technical challenges cited, and the lack of the necessary expertise on the part of law enforcement and the judiciary for implementing drug-related legislation, the Commissioners were also informed on repeated occasions that people who use drugs and low-level drug dealers tend to be the ones who feel the brunt of the law, while high-level actors in the drug market tend to benefit most from legal inconsistencies or loopholes, corruption or political interference in due process. In addition, despite the human right protections directly or indirectly provided for in national legislation, these are rarely respected when it comes to providing treatment for people who have come into conflict with the law for drug-related offences. In this regard, and cognizant of the fact that different initiatives are already underway in West Africa, the WACD commissioned an empirically informed paper on a sampling of national drug laws and related legislation in four (4) countries in West Africa. As a means to better understand how legislation is being applied in practice, the paper was also informed by interviews with law enforcement and prison officials as well as a sampling of people in pre-trial detention or serving sentences for drug offences in the same four countries. The four countries selected for the case studies are Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Guinea (the questionnaires for the prison sampling dimension of the case studies can be found in Annex B and C). The findings of the four case studies were presented to the WACD at its third meeting held in Accra, Ghana in October 2013. Subsequently, a small expert group drew from the case study findings, analysis of legislation in other countries (particularly Senegal, Sierra Leone and Liberia), and the findings from other background papers commissioned by the WACD to develop this synthesis report which puts forward a series of recommendations for minimum standards for drug related legislation in the region. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of this synthesis report will fuel further discussion and serve as constructive input to ECOWAS and national policy makers as they move toward reviewing and harmonizing national drug legislation in West Africa.

Details: West Africa Commission on Drugs, 2014. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: WACD Background paper No. 9(1): Accessed November 26, 2014 at: http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Harmonizing-Drug-Legislation-in-West-Africa-2014-06-05.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Harmonizing-Drug-Legislation-in-West-Africa-2014-06-05.pdf

Shelf Number: 134256

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy (West Africa)
Drug Regulation
Drug Trafficking
Organized Crime

Author: Gberie, Lansana

Title: State Officials and their Involvement in Drug Trafficking in West Africa. Preliminary Findings

Summary: This paper examines a controversial problem in West Africa: the alleged complicity of state security and political officials in drug trafficking. It builds on the assumption, borne out of experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean, that drug traffickers gain a foothold in a country only through the complicity of senior state political and security officials. Yet, as noted in an earlier WACD paper, it is also informed and facilitated by "the multiple and multi-layered governance deficits in the sub-region that have made it relatively susceptible to external penetration and capture by powerful, well-endowed and tightly-organized drug trafficking networks." The low number of convictions of senior state officials for their direct or indirect involvement in drug trafficking, whether in West Africa or elsewhere, makes it difficult to research these issues. Yet, a growing number of cases in which effective investigations and collaboration between states have led to important convictions and which have clearly identified the degree of collusion required to traffic drugs through a state are rendering this task less complex. Indeed, case files or reports from administrative inquiries into trafficking incidents can provide important insights into the depth and scope of the trafficking enterprise, and the degree of involvement or complicity of state officials. Open source material, such as the leaked US diplomatic cables, can be extremely insightful, as can interviews with national and foreign intelligence personnel, judges, and customs officials and similar. Studying non-action by state actors, including the police, the judiciary, internal oversight mechanisms, and even the highest levels of government in response to mounting allegations of state involvement in drug trafficking can also shed light on who might be involved in drug trafficking, colluding with traffickers or blocking investigations into such illicit activity, as can monitoring of some of the pitched media battles that have emerged between political parties regarding illicit sources of party and election campaign funding. In a region where high political office often immunes its holders from judicial sanctions it may well indicate that in some cases this complicity, passive or active, may involve people who are very high indeed in the political hierarchy. This background paper was developed using a range of these sources. Combined with information on the significant seizures of cocaine and heroin that have been recorded in the region, the paper suggests that the trafficking of hard drugs is indeed a pernicious problem provoking or exacerbating existing governance challenges such as corruption across West Africa. An open acknowledgement of the problem by West African leaders and political actors (whether in office or in the opposition) is urgently needed in order to bolster on-going efforts to tackle drug trafficking. The paper focuses principally on hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin which are produced in other regions and which are trans-shipped through West Africa to Europe and North America, particularly the US. It, therefore, does not discuss marijuana or cannabis - which is widely cultivated, used, and trafficked in West Africa, and is in effect traditional to the region - in the category of illicit drugs that could lead to serious governance and security problems. Neither does it discuss the emerging trend in methamphetamine production and trafficking in the region, although the author recognizes the latter as representing an important emerging challenge, and one that will also have important governance, security and health implications in the coming years.

Details: West Africa Commission on Drugs, 2013. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: WACD Background Paper No. 5(1): Accessed November 26, 2014 at: http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/State-Officials-and-Drug-Trafficking-2013-12-03.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/State-Officials-and-Drug-Trafficking-2013-12-03.pdf

Shelf Number: 134257

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking (West Africa)
Organized Crime
Political Corruption

Author: Mejia, Daniel

Title: The Economics of the War on Illegal Drug Production and Trafficking

Summary: We model the war on drugs in source countries as a conflict over scarce inputs of successive levels of the production and trafficking chain. We explicitly model the vertical structure of the drug trade as being composed of several stages, and study how different policies aimed at different stages affect the supply, prices and input markets. We use the model to study Plan Colombia, a large scale intervention in Colombia aimed at reducing the supply of cocaine by targeting illicit crops and illegal armed groups' control of the routes used to transport drugs outside of the country - two of the main inputs of the production and trafficking chain. The model fits many of the patterns found in the data and sheds light on certain puzzling findings. For a reasonable set of parameters that match well the data on the war on drugs under Plan Colombia, our model predicts that the marginal cost to the U.S. of reducing the amount of cocaine transacted in retail markets by one kilogram is $1,631.900 if resources are allocated to eradication efforts; and $267.450 per kilogram if resources are allocated to interdiction efforts

Details: Bogota, Colombia: Universidad De Los Andes-Cede, Department of Economics, 2013. 64p.

Source: Internet Resource: Documento CEDE No. 2013-54 : Accessed November 26, 2014 at: http://economia.uniandes.edu.co/publicaciones/dcede2013-54.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://economia.uniandes.edu.co/publicaciones/dcede2013-54.pdf

Shelf Number: 134261

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking
Economics of Crime
Plan Colombia
War on Drugs (U.S.)

Author: Hollist, Dusten

Title: An Examination of Economic Analyses Approaches for Montan's Severn Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces

Summary: - Drug abuse and associated crime continue to be one of the largest social problems in the U.S. Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces (MJDTFs) emerged in the 1970's, in order to emphasize and provide greater levels of drug law enforcement. - The Anti-Drug Abuse Act (1998) provided funding for the Bureau Justice Statistics to administer the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program (JAG). - JAG is used to fund state-level programs that address problems resulting from crime, addiction, and drug trafficking. MJDTFs across the country are funded through the JAG mechanism. - This report outlines the development of a research design to conduct an economic analysis of Montana's seven MJDTFs. - It includes a review of the existing literature that has been published on economic assessments of MJDTFs, the feasibility and factors that will be needed to complete an economic assessment, and a review of the importance of existing data needed to conduct the analysis.

Details: Missoula, MT: Criminology Research Group, Social Science Research Laboratory, University of Montana, Missoula, 2014. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 15, 2015 at: http://mbcc.mt.gov/Data/SAC/DTF/2014DTFEconAssessDevlReport.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://mbcc.mt.gov/Data/SAC/DTF/2014DTFEconAssessDevlReport.pdf

Shelf Number: 134411

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Trafficking
Economic Assessment
Economics of Crime (Montana)

Author: Hannah, Julie

Title: Human rights, drug control and the UN special procedures: Preventing arbitrary detention through the promotion of human rights in drug control

Summary: The UN drug control bodies rarely mention human rights, while the UN human rights mechanisms rarely mention drug control. In effect, the two speak different languages and hold different priorities. Research underway at the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy reveals that the historical treatment of drug control issues within the special procedures system is insufficient to have an impact on current drug control policy and practice. Reporting by mandate holders on drug control has been scattered and rarely collaborative, despite the numerous intersections drug control issues present across the mandates. As the special procedures develop their programme of work for the coming year, they have an important opportunity to consider ways in which coordination across the mandates can enhance the promotion and protection of human rights while countering the world drug problem - both to have an impact on policy-making and to close the normative gaps between the two legal regimes. Ways in which the special procedures can organise their work to such ends should include the following: - Contribute to the development of a joint special procedures statement for submission to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in 2016. A UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs scheduled for mid-2016 is an important opportunity for the special procedures to have an impact on the drug policy debate, and ensure that human rights is rooted firmly at the centre of reforms moving forward. - Advance the normative development of human rights and drug control through collaborative and individual thematic reporting on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering the world drug problem. The normative gaps highlighted in this research present numerous opportunities for mandate holders to develop lines of inquiry within their individual work and through collaborative reporting. This can include: an analysis of normative gaps; suggestions for standard setting measures that target stakeholders responding to the world drug problem, and; promoting the issue as a thematic human rights concern within the broader UN human rights mechanisms.

Details: Colchester, UK: International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy, University of Essex, 2015. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64663568/library/wgad-final.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64663568/library/wgad-final.pdf

Shelf Number: 134903

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy

Author: Hallam, Christopher

Title: The International Drug Control Regime and Access to Controlled Medicines

Summary: The World Health Organisation estimates that some 5.5 billion people around the globe inhabit countries with low to non-existent access to controlled medicines and have inadequate access to treatment for moderate to severe pain. This figure translates to over 80 per cent of the world's population. Only in a small number of wealthy countries do citizens stand a reasonable chance of gaining adequate access to pain care, though even here room for improvement remains. According to the International Narcotics Control Board, recent data indicate that more than 90 per cent of the consumption of strong opioids takes place in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Western Europe. In poor and developing nations, meanwhile, and even in several industrialised states, pain remains largely uncontrolled. Africa is the least well served continent for access to analgesia. The situation affects numerous conditions: pain may go untreated for those with cancer and with HIV/AIDS, for women in childbirth, for numerous chronic conditions, for those in post-surgical settings, those who are wounded in armed conflicts, those who have suffered accidents, and so on. Conclusions and recommendations - The unacceptable situation with respect to access to controlled medicines is another indicator that the time is right to consider the revision of the international drug control treaties in order to achieve a better balance between the twin objectives of restricting nonmedical drug use and ensuring access for medical and scientific requirements. - While the treaties remain unreformed, the INCB should achieve a better understanding of the manner in which its concerns with restricting diversion and nonmedical use impacts upon the system's public health imperatives, in particular the provision of access to essential medicines. - With this in mind, the INCB should refrain from interfering in those areas of the system that are mandated to WHO, such as the scheduling of substances under the 1961 and 1971 conventions. - The WHO has demonstrated courage and leadership in its defence of public health priorities in its scheduling recommendations. It should continue to adopt this position, and should receive the commendation and support of Parties and NGOs in so doing. - Again, until the treaties are reformed to represent a better balance between their twin objectives, the INCB should consider utilising Article 14 of the Single Convention in relation to those states who fail to progressively establish access to essential medicines. In most cases, the Article should be invoked together with Article 14 bis, which would allow supportive technical and financial steps to be taken to assist non-compliant countries. - Funds to assist governments to comply with their obligation along the lines of Article 14 bis could come from individual states with an interest, or from a special group fund dedicated to the purpose. - NGOs in the field of palliative care and those working to reform the drug control system should cooperate to bring about change.

Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute; London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2014. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies No. 26: Accessed May 21, 2015 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/dlr26-e.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/dlr26-e.pdf

Shelf Number: 135739

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Control Policy
Medical Care

Author: Organization of American States

Title: The OAS Drug Report: 16 Months of Debates and Consensus

Summary: At the Sixth Summit of the Americas, held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in April 2012, our Heads of State and Government entrusted the Organization of American States with the task of preparing a Report on the drug problem in the Americas. The instructions, as communicated by the President of the Summit, Juan Manuel Santos, were clear-cut: the Report should be frank, thorough, and shed light on actions taken so far to confront the drug problem, without shying away from sensitive issues and without fear of breaking taboos in order to pave the way for new approaches to the drug phenomenon. One year later the task had been completed. In May, 2013, we delivered the Report on the Drug Problem to the same President of Colombia and, through him, to all the Heads of State and Government. It had a huge, immediate impact. Less than one month later, the OAS General Assembly met in Antigua Guatemala, for the first session ever to address this significant issue that we have lived with for several decades. Its conclusions testified to the pressing need our governments and peoples felt to revisit the policies that had predominated in the Hemisphere and yet had failed to achieve expected outcomes. In just 16 months, the Report managed to open up a discussion as frank as it was unprecedented of all the options available in the quest for more effective policies for dealing with the drug problem in the Hemisphere. The influential North American daily, The New York Times, wrote that the report "effectively breaks the taboo on considering alternatives to the current prohibitionist approach." The Colombia magazine Semana wrote that "this report opens another front in debate between the various alternatives to address the drug business in its various stages, as well as the consequences of its consumption."

Details: Washington,DC: OAS, 2014. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://www.oas.org/docs/publications/LayoutPubgAGDrogas-ENG-29-9.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: South America

URL: http://www.oas.org/docs/publications/LayoutPubgAGDrogas-ENG-29-9.pdf

Shelf Number: 135765

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Trafficking

Author: Farthing, Linda C.

Title: Habeas Coca: Bolivia's Community Coca Control

Summary: With significant pressure and earmarked funding from the United States and other demand-side countries, the Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru have struggled for decades with the question of how to limit the growth of coca and the export of cocaine and comply with UN drug conventions. Tactics such as forced eradication, criminalization, and marginalization of coca farmers have not only failed to significantly reduce cocaine production, but have had disastrous consequences for the economies and communities in the region. In 2004 the Bolivian government, despite international pressure to maintain the status quo, gathered the political momentum to try something different. Bolivia established the cato accord that allowed farmers to legally grow a limited and regulated quantity of coca leaves, a mainstay of Andean life for 4,000 years. The Bolivian model's simple concept is supported at the local, national, regional, and international levels by a complex network of growers, unions, organizations, government agencies, and police and military forces. Habeas Coca: Bolivia's Community Coca Control explains how the community control system works and shows its effectiveness in decreasing violence, increasing citizen engagement, limiting corruption, stabilizing and diversifying local economies, and reducing coca cultivation. It also explores the areas where the program and its evaluation can be improved. Countries where legal and illegal drug markets coexist, or can be developed, can benefit greatly by exploring and adapting the community control model to their unique circumstances. And, by better understanding the possibilities and constraints placed on those on the supply-side, countries on the demand-side of the global drug market will learn from Habeas Coca how critical their own policies, domestic and foreign, are to the success of limiting cocaine supply.

Details: Open Society Foundations, Global Drug Policy Program, 2015. 84p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2015 at: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/Bolivia%20Report-Habeas%20Coca-US-07-06-2015-corr1.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Bolivia

URL: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/Bolivia%20Report-Habeas%20Coca-US-07-06-2015-corr1.pdf

Shelf Number: 136304

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Policy

Author: Organization of American States

Title: Trinidad and Tobago: Evaluation of Progress in Drug Control, 2007-2009

Summary: The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) is a diagnostic tool designed by all member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) to periodically carry out comprehensive, multilateral evaluations of the progress of actions taken by member states and by the hemisphere as a whole, in dealing with the drug problem. The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), of the Secretariat of Multidimensional Security, an OAS specialized agency, implemented this Mechanism in 1998, pursuant to a mandate from the Second Summit of the Americas held in Santiago, Chile in 1998. The MEM is not only an evaluation instrument, but has also become a vehicle for disseminating information on the progress achieved by individual and collective efforts of OAS member state governments, catalyzing hemispheric cooperation, promoting dialogue among member state government authorities and precisely channeling assistance to areas requiring greater attention by optimizing resources. The MEM process itself is assessed by the Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG), comprised of delegations from all member states, which meets before the onset of each MEM evaluation round to review and strengthen all operational aspects of the mechanism, including the indicators of the evaluation questionnaire. National evaluation reports are drafted by experts from each member state, with experts not working on their own country's report, guaranteeing the transparent multilateral nature of the MEM. Each chapter is based on countries' responses to a questionnaire of indicators covering the main thematic areas of institution building, demand reduction, supply reduction and control measures as well as subsequent comments and updated information provided by the government-appointed coordinating entities. This report covers the full country evaluation for the MEM Fifth Round evaluation period 2007-2009.

Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), 2010.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2015 at: http://www.cicad.oas.org/mem/reports/5/Full_Eval/Trin&Tobago%20-%205th%20Rd%20-%20ENG.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Trinidad and Tobago

URL: http://www.cicad.oas.org/mem/reports/5/Full_Eval/Trin&Tobago%20-%205th%20Rd%20-%20ENG.pdf

Shelf Number: 136358

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy

Author: Schultze-Kraft, Markus

Title: Getting high on impact: The challenge of evaluating drug policy

Summary: Key points - Impact evaluations in contested policy fields are deeply challenging. They run the risk of adding to unproductive games of contestation between proponents and critics of contested public policies. A case in point are the strategies to control and, ultimately, eliminate the supply of, and demand for, plant-based and synthetic psychoactive substances, commonly referred to as 'illicit drugs', such as cocaine heroin, cannabis and methamphetamines. - The official drug control community � the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and � at a national state level � the US government � and a growing number of drug policy reform groups are at loggerheads over how drug policies should best be evaluated. In the run-up to the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs in 2016 both should make efforts to face the big challenge of devising scientifically sound approaches to evaluating the impact of drug policies. - We highlight the importance of reflecting carefully on (a) whether and, if so, how the definitions of, and perceptions on, ultimate policy goals differ or (b) whether any common ground exists between the proponents and critics of the drug policies. If commonalities can be identified in this regard, the next step is to make explicit the competing theories of change that underpin the existing and proposed policy interventions to achieve the 'agreed' ultimate goals. - Our analysis suggests that both sides are interested in protecting the health and welfare of individuals and societies and � using the language of reform advocates � in preventing and reducing the harm that drugs cause or might cause; and they are both interested � with significant differences in emphasis � in safeguarding the political stability and security of states and citizens. However, the perspectives on what form drug control should take, who should be involved in the control effort, and how control could be achieved, that is to say which policies are most effective and least harmful in terms of protecting the health and welfare of citizens and societies and mitigating threats to stability and security, differ markedly. - It is important to make explicit the assumptions underlying the theories of change on both sides as this helps direct the efforts of evaluators to the relevant literatures that might contribute to solve disputes and adjudicate between different views on the basis of the best-warranted claim. This allows for testing both theories of change against the most robust scientific evidence available, providing a platform for the design of improved and � hopefully � less contentious policies.

Details: Swansea, Wales, UK: Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, 2014. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief 3: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/GDPO%20Getting%20High%20FINAL.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/GDPO%20Getting%20High%20FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 136642

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Reform

Author: Ledebur, Kathryn

Title: Bolivian Drug Control Efforts: Genuine Progress, Daunting Challenges

Summary: Following a landslide victory at the polls, Evo Morales became president of Bolivia in January 2006. Head of the coca-growers' federation, Morales was a long-standing foe of U.S. drug policy, and many observers anticipated a complete break in U.S.-Bolivian relations and hence an end to drug policy cooperation. Instead, both Morales and the George W. Bush administration initially kept the rhetoric at bay and developed an amicable enough bilateral relationship - though one that at times has been fraught with tension. Following Bolivia's expulsion in 2008 of the U.S. Ambassador, Philip Goldberg, for allegedly meddling in the country's internal affairs and encouraging civil unrest, and the subsequent expulsion of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the White House upped its criticism of the Bolivian government and for the past five years has issued a "determination" that Bolivia has "failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to adhere to [its] obligations under international narcotics agreements." U.S. economic assistance for Bolivian drug control programs has slowed to a trickle. Nonetheless, in 2011 the two countries signed a new framework agreement to guide bilateral relations and are pending an exchange of ambassadors. Moreover, cooperation continues between the primary Bolivian drug control agency - the Ministry of Government's Vice Ministry of Social Defense and Controlled Substances - and the Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) of the U.S. embassy. At the international level, Bolivia is seeking to reconcile its new constitution, which recognizes the right to use the coca leaf for traditional and legal purposes and recognizes coca as part of the country's national heritage, with its commitments to international conventions. In June 2011, the country denounced the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol and announced its intention to re-accede with a reservation allowing for the traditional use of the coca leaf. (The 1961 Convention mistakenly classifies coca as a dangerous narcotic, along with cocaine.) Unless more than one-third of UN member states object by the January 10, 2013 deadline, the Bolivian reservation will be accepted and the country will once again be a full Party to the Single Convention. The approaching date for Bolivia's potential return to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs provides an opportune moment to evaluate the Bolivian government's progress achieving its drug policy objectives. Moreover, the Morales administration has been in office for nearly six years, providing a clear track record to evaluate. Adopting a "coca yes, cocaine no" approach, Bolivia has sought to decrease the cultivation of coca - the raw material used in manufacturing cocaine - while increasing actions against cocaine production and drug trafficking organizations. In 2011, the land area devoted to coca cultivation in Bolivia dropped by 13 percent, according to U.S. government figures, in contrast to net increases in Peru and Colombia. Seizures of coca paste and cocaine and destruction of drug laboratories have steadily increased since President Morales took office. Yet despite the positive results achieved to date, the government faces increasing challenges as the amount of coca paste and cocaine flowing across its borders from Peru has increased, the production of cocaine in Bolivia itself has risen, and drug traffickers have diversified and expanded areas of production and transportation within the country. The Bolivian government has made significant progress facing the ongoing challenges of drug production and trafficking, in part due to the assistance provided by the European Union (EU), the United States, and others. The U.S. government should now recognize this progress in its annual determinations. The string of negative determinations are increasingly disconnected from reality in Bolivia and retain little credibility with the Bolivian government or with other governments in the region, which continue to see the annual U.S. rating as offensive and politically motivated. The signing of the framework agreement marked significant progress in U.S.-Bolivian bilateral relations. Both governments should build on that success by using the accord as a venue to discuss areas of concern, friction, and consensus. While differences will undoubtedly arise, it is in the best interests of both countries to maintain an open dialogue.

Details: Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2012. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 16, 2015 at: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/AIN-WOLA%20Final%20Bolivia%20Coca%20Memo.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Bolivia

URL: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/AIN-WOLA%20Final%20Bolivia%20Coca%20Memo.pdf

Shelf Number: 136789

Keywords:
Cocaine
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Trafficking

Author: Coyne, John

Title: Methamphetamine: Focusing Australia's National Ice Strategy on the problem, not the symptoms

Summary: In this report, law enforcement isn't focused on arrests, prosecutions, custodial offences or seizures, as none of those will have a guaranteed impact on the problem. The focus is on means to reduce the availability of drugs, the disruption of user behaviour and the integration of education and health initiatives. The report argues that the National Ice Strategy should consider three key points: 1.Integration. Drug strategies have a better chance of being successful when each of its initiatives are integrated into a strategically focussed harm reduction strategy. 2.Innovation. Education, health and enforcement stakeholder should be free from the limitations of wholly quantitative performance measures 3. Disruption. Initiatives to tackle the ice problem should be focussed towards the disruption of problems rather than the treatment of symptoms of the problem.

Details: Barton, ACT, Australia: Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2015. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 15, 2015 at: https://www.aspi.org.au/publications/methamphetamine-focusing-australias-national-ice-strategy-on-the-problem,-not-the-symptoms/SR82_ice.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Australia

URL: https://www.aspi.org.au/publications/methamphetamine-focusing-australias-national-ice-strategy-on-the-problem,-not-the-symptoms/SR82_ice.pdf

Shelf Number: 136983

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Methamphetamine

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Drug Control: Additional Performance Information Is Needed to Oversee the National Guard's State Counterdrug Program

Summary: Since 1989 the National Guard has received hundreds of millions of dollars to help enhance the effectiveness of state-level counterdrug efforts by providing military support to assist interagency partners with their counterdrug activities. The program funds the drug interdiction priorities of each state Governor; counterdrug-related training to interagency partners at five counterdrug schools; and state-level counter-threat finance investigations, all of which are part of DOD's broader counterdrug efforts. Senate Report 113-176 included a provision for GAO to conduct an assessment of the state operations of the National Guard's counterdrug program. This report: (1) identifies the changes in funding for the program since fiscal year 2004, and (2) assesses the extent to which performance information is used to evaluate the program's activities. GAO analyzed the program's budgets and obligations data, performance measures, and program guidance, and interviewed knowledgeable officials. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that DOD (1) identify additional information needed to evaluate the performance of state programs and oversee counterdrug schools' training; and (2) subsequently collect and use performance information to help inform funding distribution decisions to state programs and to conduct oversight of the training offered by the counterdrug schools. DOD concurred with GAO's recommendations.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2015. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-16-133: Accessed October 27, 2015 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/673260.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/673260.pdf

Shelf Number: 137151

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement

Author: Global Commission on Drug Policy

Title: The Negative Impact of Drug Control on Public Health: The Global Crisis of Avoidable Pain

Summary: The international drug control system is stoking a global crisis of inequitable access to controlled medicines. Of the global population, an estimated 5.5 billion have poor to nonexistent access to opioid analgesics, in particular morphine, resulting in the avoidable pain and suffering of people around the world. At the last estimate, 92 percent of the world's supply of morphine was consumed by just 17 percent of the global population, that consumption primarily concentrated in the global north. Terminal cancer patients, end-stage AIDS patients, and women in labor suffering from uncontrolled pain are among the key impacted groups, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that tens of millions suffer from unrelieved pain annually due to a lack of access to controlled medicines. In addition, only a fraction of people globally who inject drugs are able to access controlled medicines for treating opioid dependence. Under international drug control law and international human rights law, States have an obligation to ensure controlled medicines are made available to their populations; any restriction of access constitutes a violation of the right to health. Though a number of factors impose barriers to access, including weak healthcare systems and the lack of training of clinicians working on the ground, the international drug control system has been responsible for perpetuating the continual undersupply of controlled medicines. This scarcity is due to the prioritization, by governments and UN bodies alike, of preventing the diversion of controlled substances for illicit purposes over ensuring access for medical and scientific needs. For example, both the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have a dual obligation to maintain a balance between preventing diversion and ensuring access, yet have historically favored the former. This has translated to the national level where some governments continually emphasize a criminal justice approach to drug control, rather than a public health one, all to the detriment of providing access to controlled medicines. In some countries, overly burdensome regulations for prescribing controlled medicines, something that can be linked to the UN drug conventions, create a situation where physicians must operate in a climate of fear and legal uncertainty, real or perceived. As a result, many are afraid of prescribing controlled medicines due to the risk of prosecution, or of being charged with professional misconduct for failing to adhere to stringent regimes. What's more, this environment contributes heavily to broader societal attitudes and the stigmatization of people who use controlled substances, licit or otherwise. The INCB and UNODC have begun to take steps to rectify this gross inequity of access around the world, and WHO's increasing involvement in the issue over the past decade is a key step in the right direction. However, there is considerable work to do to amend the damage caused by decades of placing a primacy on anti-diversion measures in drug control. With an increasing number of States and UN bodies drawing attention to the lack of access to controlled medicines, we are reaching a critical juncture, particularly with the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drugs approaching in 2016. The time for concrete action on the issue is now. A new global initiative must be explored and greater power and funds must be handed to WHO, to lead on tackling inequitable access to controlled medicines. Without action, millions of people will continue to suffer unnecessarily.

Details: Rio de Janeiro � RJ � Brasil: The Commission, 2015. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2015 at: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports/

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports/

Shelf Number: 137190

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Offenders
Drug Policy

Author: Cockayne, James

Title: What Comes After the War on Drugs - Flexibility, Fragmentation or Principled Pluralism?

Summary: In April 2016, diplomats, experts and civil society actors from around the world will gather for three days at a rare Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, called to address the world drug problem (UNGASS 2016). In some quarters, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, UNGASS 2016 is seen as a moment to rethink global drug control strategies. In other regions, UNGASS 2016 is viewed somewhat differently, as a time to build upon and strengthen the current approach to drug policy, as set out in a current Plan of Action adopted in 2009. Throughout 2015, United Nations University (UNU) - a global think tank established by the UN General Assembly, and charged with contributing, through collaborative research, to collective efforts to resolve pressing global challenges - has been gathering stakeholders in a series of meetings at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, aimed at "Identifying Common Ground" ahead of UNGASS 2016. These meetings have addressed the relationship between contemporary global drug policy and public health, human rights, development and criminal justice. These meetings have been attended by delegates from more than 50 UN Member States, as well as representatives of 16 UN entities and 55 civil society and academic organizations. Drawing on these consultations, this Policy Report outlines how the global drug control system works, including recent trends; describes three major perspectives going into UNGASS 2016: Orthodoxy, Scepticism and Swing Voting; explores the likely outcome of UNGASS 2016; and makes recommendations for strengthening that outcome.

Details: Tokyo: United Nations University, 2015. 59p.

Source: Internet Resource: A Policy Report: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/news/72569/UNU_Drug_Policy_Online_Final.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/news/72569/UNU_Drug_Policy_Online_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 137373

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Reform
War on Drugs

Author: London School of Economics and Political Science. LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy

Title: After the Drug Wars: report of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy

Summary: The post-'war on drug' era has begun. Prohibitionist policies must now take a back seat to the new, comprehensive, people-centred set of universal goals and targets that we know as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nation states and the global drug regulatory system must shift to principles of sustainable development that include: public health, harm reduction of consumption and supply, access to essential medicines, and scientific experimentation with strict legal regulation. To enable this transformation, nation states should drastically de-prioritise the prohibitionist goals of the past. They must implement new comprehensive development policies dealing with the root causes of problems associated with illicit drugs. The 'war on drugs' caused the international community to prioritise prohibitionist policies over sustainable development at a terrible socioeconomic cost. As the United Nations Development Programme highlights in the discussion paper excerpted in this report, 'evidence indicates that drug control policies often leave an indelible footprint on sustainable human development processes and outcomes... [and] have fuelled the marginalisation of people linked with illicit drug use or markets.' This report recognises that key reforms within the global regulatory system will come from changes at the national and local levels. It highlights that the UN drug control treaties recommend an approach grounded in the 'health and welfare' of mankind. Further, it emphasises that human rights obligations have absolute supremacy over drug control goals and as such there is sufficient interpretive scope within the treaties to experiment with social scientific policies that can further global health and welfare. The world can shift away from counterproductive and ineffective drug policies. The UN General Assembly Special Session in 2016 is a key platform for driving debate. However, the ultimate impetus lies with countries to reform their policies based on evidence and local realities. This report provides a framework for achieving this shift.

Details: London: LSE, 2016. 140p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2016 at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/LSE-IDEAS-After-the-Drug-Wars.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/LSE-IDEAS-After-the-Drug-Wars.pdf

Shelf Number: 137981

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
War on Drugs

Author: International Narcotics Control Board

Title: Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2015

Summary: The International Narcotics Control Board is uniquely placed to contribute to current discussions on international trends and emerging threats in drug control. It will contribute the insight and experience it has accumulated over decades of monitoring the implementation of the drug control conventions and identifying achievements, challenges and weaknesses in drug control. INCB will engage in the special session and its preparation by highlighting and clarifying the approaches and principles underlying the international system of drug control and making recommendations based upon the conventions. In its annual reports, published pursuant to the treaties, INCB has been addressing, particularly in the thematic chapters, most of the relevant aspects of the global drug problem and most of the critical points in the ongoing debate on the "right way in drug policy". Equally, the release of the present annual report of the Board for 2015, the annual report on precursors and the supplementary report on the availability of internationally controlled drugs is part of our contribution to the special session and the forthcoming policy discussions. The present report of the Board for 2015 contains a thematic chapter on the health and welfare of mankind and the international drug control system. It shows that concern for health and welfare is at the core of the international drug control system. INCB emphasizes that the system in place, when fully implemented, contributes to protecting the health and welfare of people worldwide and ensures balanced national approaches that take into account local socioeconomic and sociocultural conditions. Even with the reality of the constantly shifting contours of the drug problem, the 1961, 1971 and 1988 conventions have proved their value as the cornerstone of international cooperation in drug policy. The fact that the conventions have been almost universally ratified by States underscores that the desire to counter the world's drug problem is shared globally. States have regularly reaffirmed their commitment to working within the framework of the three international drug control conventions and the political declarations. Assessing the achievements and challenges of the current drug control system, INCB believes that the control of the international licit trade in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors has been an undeniable success, as today no noteworthy diversion of those substances from licit to illicit channels is taking place. On the other hand, the availability and accessibility of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical purposes is not at all satisfactory at the global level. Equally, the goal of a noticeable reduction in the illicit demand for and supply of drugs has not been reached. Finally, there are numerous new challenges emerging, such as new psychoactive substances.

Details: Vienna: International Narcotics Control Board, 2016. 128p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2016 at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR2015/English/AR_2015_E.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR2015/English/AR_2015_E.pdf

Shelf Number: 138127

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Illicit Drugs
Narcotics

Author: Saunders, Jessica

Title: A Community-Based, Focused-Deterrence Approach to Closing Overt Drug Markets: A Process and Fidelity Evaluation of Seven Sites

Summary: Overt drug markets are often associated with violence and property crime, as well as lower quality of life for nearby residents. Despite the considerable strain these markets can place on communities, efforts to close them can disrupt the delicate relationship between those who live in these communities and the criminal justice agencies charged with protecting them. In 2010, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funded Michigan State University (MSU) to train a cohort of seven jurisdictions to implement a community-based strategy that uses focused deterrence, community engagement, and incapacitation to reduce the crime and disorder associated with overt drug markets. The strategy was inspired by the High Point Drug Market Intervention and RAND was selected by the National Institute of Justice to evaluate these efforts. This process evaluation describes how well the seven sites adhered to the BJA model they were exposed to during the trainings, the barriers they encountered, and lessons learned from their experiences. Key Findings Successful Implementation Requires Strong Support from Law Enforcement and Prosecutors - Three sites did not make it to the call-in phase, with the common theme a lack of support at the highest levels of police departments or prosecutor's offices or the loss of initial support from leaders at these key agencies over time. - An initial commitment that is not sustained, or lack of strong commitment from one of these entities, may impede full implementation of the strategy. Team Members Should Have a Good Understanding of the Strategy Before Beginning the Process - A full understanding of the strategy from the outset will prevent avoidable missteps and will likely improve fidelity to the model. Team Turnover Should Be Expected and Addressed in Advance - Most of the teams experienced some turnover in the core membership, and in some cases, this put an end to the intervention. - Several team members mentioned that it was important to have multiple people from each sector familiar with the project in case someone changes positions. If Sites Plan to Track Dealers, an Action Plan Should Be Developed Prior to the Call-In - Some sites did not develop specific systems for tracking A-listers and B-listers, either from the outset or at all. This information is important for understanding the causal mechanisms underlying observed changes, keeping track of program costs, and successfully delivering on the deterrence message. - Some sites were not able to keep careful track of whether B-listers were complying with the terms of program, and some lacked specific requirements for B-lister participation.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2016. 113p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 8, 2016 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1000/RR1001/RAND_RR1001.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1000/RR1001/RAND_RR1001.pdf

Shelf Number: 138129

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Markets

Author: Kushlick, Danny

Title: The War on Drugs: Undermining Peace and Security

Summary: The global war on drugs has been fought for 50 years, without preventing the long-term trend of increasing drug production, supply and use. But beyond this failure to achieve its own stated aims, the drug war has also produced a range of serious, negative costs. Many of these costs have been identified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - the very UN agency that oversees the system responsible for them - and are described as the 'unintended consequences' of the war on drugs. They may have been unintended, but after more than 50 years, they can no longer be seen as unanticipated. These costs are also distinct from those relating to drug use, stemming as they do from the choice of a punitive enforcement-led approach. This briefing explores how the UN seeks to promote the security of its member states through implementing a drug control system that treats the use of certain drugs as an 'existential threat' to society. The briefing will demonstrate, however, that this approach is fatally undermining international peace and security. There is naturally overlap with other areas of the Count the Costs project, including: development, human rights, health, crime and economics.

Details: London: Count the Costs, 2016. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 16, 2016 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Security-briefing.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Security-briefing.pdf

Shelf Number: 138249

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Drug Trafficking
War on Drugs

Author: Mejia, Daniel

Title: The Economics of the Drug War: Unaccounted Costs, Lost Lives, Missed Opportunities

Summary: Fiscally minded policymakers should invest in drug policy reform. Many national drug control policies are centered on aggressive policing and military efforts to reduce drug supplies and punish drug consumers. But these policies come with a very high price tag, rarely resulting in sustained control of drug supply or demand. The economic wastefulness of the drug war is one of the most important motivations for reform. A new report from the Open Society Foundations, The Economics of the Drug War: Unaccounted Costs, Lost Lives, Missed Opportunities, documents both the wastefulness of ill-conceived investment in ineffective policies and the missed opportunity of failing to invest in effective policies and programs that embody good public health practice and human rights norms. The case of Colombia, for example, illustrates the futility-and the harms to individuals and society-of extremely expensive coca eradication efforts. For all the money spent, the efforts merely resulted in a geographical shift of coca production to new and sometimes more environmentally fragile locations. The environmental and health damage caused by aerial spraying of coca crops also negatively impacted the productivity of rural families. Many countries fail to invest in and scale up programs that yield significant economic returns in reduced crime, reduced death from overdose, reduced illness and injury from unsafe injection, and improved productivity of patients who are able to get on with their lives. Programs that provide clean injection equipment are among the most cost-effective interventions in all of public health because they prevent HIV, but too many governments still believe erroneously that they encourage drug use. And overincarceration for nonviolent drug offenses is a drain on public resources that fails to make a dent in drug markets. Health-centered drug policy conceived with human rights norms in mind is effective and cost-effective compared to many status quo approaches. This report explains why less punitive drug policy is good fiscal decision making.

Details: New York: Open Society Foundations, 2016. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 31, 2016 at: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/economics-drug-war-unaccounted-costs-lost-lives-missed-opportunities-20160229.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/economics-drug-war-unaccounted-costs-lost-lives-missed-opportunities-20160229.pdf

Shelf Number: 138512

Keywords:
Costs of Criminal Justice
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
War on Drugs

Author: McSweeney, Kendra

Title: The Impact of Drug Policy on the Environment

Summary: Across the world, cultivators and traffickers of illicit drugs are wreaking ecological havoc-clearing fields from primary rainforest, piggy-backing drug smuggling with traffic in illegal hardwoods and endangered species, and laundering money in land deals that devastate protected forests. The international drug control system must share the blame for this devastation. Forty years of dogged adherence to drug crop eradication and drug interdiction policies have been instrumental in hounding drug farmers and traffickers into increasingly fragile landscapes. Although these policies have arguably done little to stem the cultivation and traffic of illicit drugs, it has done much to amplify the environmental devastation and degradation that accompanies them. Moreover, prohibitionist drug control policies keep the price of drugs high, ensuring that those involved in their traffic make good profits-profits that are speculatively laundered in the transformation of bio-and agro-diverse landscapes into cattle ranches and oil palm plantations. New research-much of it using newly available real-time satellite imagery of forest loss-is bringing into sharp focus the devastating ecological costs of conventional drug policies, and how these can profoundly undermine international policies designed to protect forests, mitigate climate change, and promote rural development. The Impact of Drug Policy on the Environment explores the environmental costs of conventional drug policies using the latest science, and provides recommendations for governments to recognize this problem, review current strategies, and explore new approaches to lessen this collateral environmental damage.

Details: New York: Open Society Foundations, 2015. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 31, 2016 at: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/impact-drug-policy-environment

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/impact-drug-policy-environment

Shelf Number: 20

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Offenses Against the Environment
War on Drugs

Author: McBride, George

Title: High Stakes: An Inquiry into the Drugs Crisis in English Prisons

Summary: Prisons are in crisis with record levels of suicides, violence and self-harm. Traditional drugs have been replaced by a family of drugs called synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, generically referred to as 'black mamba' or 'spice.' The government has failed to recognise the important policy implications of these new drugs, and the lack of intelligent drug policy in the new white paper risks undermining the entirety of the proposed prison reforms. This report is the first of its kind bringing together experts in drug and prison policy to examine the implications of the radical shift in prison drug markets and propose pragmatic solutions to reduce drug-related harms and improve prison safety and security. The report reviews the rise to near ubiquity of spice in men's prisons in England. These diverse and multitudinous substances have risen to prominence globally in response to international prohibition of popular illicit substances, in particular cannabis. These new substances have relatively unknown risk profiles and many induce paranoia, behavioural disturbances, violence, seizures and convulsions. They are particularly popular in prisons due to their low cost, difficulty to detect, and "bird [prison sentence] killing" effects. Too little is being done to fight drug demand within prisons. Prisoners are often left unoccupied in their cells for 23 hours a day. Many prisoners are developing drug problems during their incarceration. Overall 8% of men in prison in England and Wales report developing a drug problem since they have been in prison. In prisons with the worst regimes this is as high as 14-16%. This is increasing drug use and the frequency of dangerous incidents, which are a substantial drain on prison staff resources. This feeds a vicious cycle, further draining resources, and is leaving prisoners increasingly unoccupied and under supervised. As staff capacity is reduced this further decreases the ability of prisons to perform essential functions in disrupting the supply of drugs into prisons leaving criminal organisations able to push drugs with impunity. The supply reduction methods proposed in the White Paper are expensive distractions from the real work needed to disrupt criminal supply chains. Proposed extensions to the mandatory drug testing regime will be impracticable with the available resources, only identify a limited range of the drugs in circulation, and fail to assist in identifying those supplying drugs. New sniffer dogs will quickly become obsolete due to the rate of chemical innovation of new substances. We are currently monitoring drug use in prisons through mandatory drug testing and records of seizures. These methods give very little assistance in terms of understanding who is supplying drugs, who is using drugs, what drugs are in circulation, how drugs are getting into prisons, or the level and nature of harm associated with drug use in a given prison. Recommendations: Risk management not zero tolerance – a chasm exists between the prevailing rhetoric and policy reality. In order to manage prisons effectively efforts need to focus on disrupting supply chains, reducing demand for drugs, and improving intelligence-gathering. Reducing drug-related harms makes prisons safer places in which rehabilitation is more effective. Helping addicted drug-users who are willing to change to turn their lives around is proven to reduce re-offending rates. Reduce demand through purposeful activity – There needs to be an acceptance that supply reduction measures are there to disrupt supply, they are not there to eradicate it. A shift of emphasis towards demand reduction is required to make prisons more effective places at tackling problem drug habits and rehabilitating offenders. There is a clear link between a lack of purposeful activity and the uptake of drug use. Busy prison regimes and treatment are more effective than security measures in managing the drug problem in our prisons. The long-held emphasis on supply reduction over demand reduction creates an increased burden on staff, logistical and management difficulties, and associated difficulties in implementing new policies, supporting work, training, education and treatment schemes. These costs too often go uncounted. Overhaul monitoring of drug use – An essential part of effective management is using appropriate, reliable metrics for measuring success and failure. The Ministry of Justice’s recommendations to monitor prisons’ drug policy outcomes via drug testing prisoners on arrival and exit from prison will not provide reliable or useful data. Instead, a system should be implemented to monitor the nature and scale of the drug market and drug-related harms. Regular anonymous audits of drug use and the drug market could provide valuable information from treatment staff, prison officers, current and ex-prisoners. Overhaul monitoring of drug supply and security – Current supply-reduction and security measures are not grounded in evidence. New proposed measures focus on drones and visitors when there is no evidence that these are the primary sources of supply. There is evidence suggesting corrupt staff may be a major source of supply. Evidence gathering is needed on drug seizures to assist in determining their providence, as well as a new regional task force within the Prison Service to oversee periodic spot checks and searches of staff. Improve staff to prisoner ratio – Overseeing busy prison routines and effective treatment is a labour-intensive endeavour with no quick-fix technological solutions. In order to bring about this reform we need a better staff to prisoner ratio. To do so means that we need to either substantially reduce the prison population or substantially increase prison funding. Reducing the prison population likely has both fiscal and outcome benefits by reducing the use of a costly and ineffective intervention.

Details: London: Volteface, 2016. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2017/01/High-Stakes-A4-Printed-Booklet-Final-Version-1.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2017/01/High-Stakes-A4-Printed-Booklet-Final-Version-1.pdf

Shelf Number: 144834

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Control
Drug Control Policy
Drug Offenders
Drug Use in Prison
Prison Contraband
Prison Policy
Prison Violence

Author: Loi, Valerio

Title: Tendencies in World Imprisonment for Drug Related Crime

Summary: The latest estimates on the world prison population indicate that 10.35 million people are incarcerated worldwide, according to calculations presented in February 2016. The assertion this figure can be correlated to the effects and outcomes of the global drug prohibition regime is the starting point of this chapter, which will try to give an overview of to what extent the use of criminal law has contributed to this figure on a global scale. Drug control policies with a strong emphasis on criminal law became a global reality particularly after the adoption of the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychoactive Substances, which requires countries to suppress the illicit production, supply and consumption of drugs through criminal law. As an indirect result, it can be one of the main causes of imprisonments worldwide, as many countries have adopted legislation with prison sentences for all drugs related offences after signing this treaty. This emphasis on criminal law to deal with the drugs market has provoked thirty three countries to prescribe the death penalty for drug offences. And last but certainly not least, hundreds of thousands of people are locked up without any trial for lengthy periods of time in the name of drug treatment. The 2014 UNODC "World crime trends and emerging issues and responses in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice", of April 2014, shows the global trend on drug offences remains on the increase: drug trafficking grew by 11%, while offences related to drug possession increased over 18%, in the period 2003-2012. It is of high relevance to stress that most legislations do not distinguish between possessions of and traffic in drugs, possibly altering these figures even more towards the latter. Although exact figures lack, the 2014 World Drug Report indicates that, "worldwide, the large majority of drug use offences are associated with cannabis"; an indication that a large share of penal prosecutions globally is geared towards the cannabis market. Meanwhile, policy debates in different parts of the world reflect certain recognition of both the ineffectiveness of the current penal focus, especially for non-violent offences, such as possession for personal use and use, but sometimes including small scale traffic; and the degree of injustice being done to certain vulnerable population groups, such as single mothers, and people imprisoned abroad. This has lead in some countries to legislative reform and changing practice in the criminal justice system. Questioning the exclusive penal model is no longer taboo, and the need to restore the balance between punishment and care is long overdue. The following chapter will basically focus on the impact of the present drug laws enforcement in the world's prison systems. It won't be a mere recount of the share of detainees for drug crimes within the overall inmates' population, as far as data for that is available, according to geographical macro-regions. While assessing the main trends, we want to highlight the challenges and possible reform proposals of the present prison systems.

Details: El Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho (CEDD), 2016. 33p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2017 at: http://www.drogasyderecho.org/pses/restoi.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://www.drogasyderecho.org/pses/restoi.pdf

Shelf Number: 145234

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Offenders
Drug Trafficking
Drugs and Crime
Imprisonment
Prison Population
Prisoners

Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

Title: Drug squads: units specialised in drug law enforcement in Europe: Situation in the EU Member States, Norway and Turkey in 2015

Summary: In 2014, the EMCDDA took the decision to carry out a limited follow-up study of the EMCDDA Paper Drug squads: units specialised in drug law enforcement in Europe (EMCDDA, 2013), with the aim of monitoring possible changes and trends in drug supply reduction resulting from law enforcement activities. An abbreviated version of the data collection questionnaire employed in the original study was used for reporting by reference persons from the 28 EU Member States, Norway and Turkey. The reference persons were also given the opportunity to provide additional information and comments. The European drug law enforcement landscape in 2015 is broadly similar to the situation in 2012. The total number of drug squads in Europe has remained stable (1 187 squads in 2012 versus 1 133 in 2015), as has the number of staff allocated to drug squads. Although the number of law enforcement officers decreased by 10 % between 2012 and 2015 (from 17 720 to 15 870), the total number of staff employed in European drug squads increased slightly (from 19-490 to 20-515 staff members).

Details: Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2018 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/7143/Drug%20squads%202017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/7143/Drug%20squads%202017.pdf

Shelf Number: 148857

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Markets
Illicit Drugs
Law Enforcement

Author: Drug Policy Advocacy Group - Myanmar

Title: Guiding Drug Law Reform in Myanmar: A Legal Analysis of the Draft Bill Amending 1993 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law

Summary: A draft bill amending Myanmar 1993 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law was published in newspapers in March 2017 for public consultation. It was subsequently discussed in the upper house of Parliament (Amyothar Hluttaw) on 16 August 2017. The draft bill introduces important changes to Myanmar drug law. Most significantly, it intends to place public health at the heart of the country's drug control strategy, and lengthy prison penalties for drug use have been eliminated to facilitate access to health services for drug users. This is a positive improvement and must be applauded as a progressive measure. Nevertheless, the draft bill also contains a number of shortfalls that could be addressed with a few basic, although fundamental, adjustments. This paper thoroughly analyses the draft bill, and looks in detail at its provisions in the light of UN drug control treaties, international human rights norms, and the latest evidence and international best practices. We hope that this document will be a useful tool for members of the Government, Members of the Parliament, and other policy makers who are taking part in the drug law and policy reform processes in Myanmar. In this way we believe it can help further improve the current legislation.

Details: Amsterdam: The Policy Group, 2017. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2018 at: https://www.tni.org/files/publication-downloads/legal_analysis_english_final_version.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Burma

URL: https://www.tni.org/files/publication-downloads/legal_analysis_english_final_version.pdf

Shelf Number: 149098

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Policy
Drug Policy Reform
Opium

Author: Jelsma, Martin

Title: Balancing Treaty Stability and Change: Inter se modification of the UN drug control conventions to facilitate cannabis regulation

Summary: Key Points - Legal tensions are growing within the international drug control regime as increasing numbers of member states or jurisdictions therein move towards or seriously consider legal regulation of the cannabis market for non-medical purposes, a policy choice not permitted under the existing UN legal framework. - Reaching a new global consensus to revise or amend the UN drug control conventions to accommodate cannabis regulation, or that of other psychoactive plants and substances currently scheduled in these treaties, does not appear to be a viable political option in the foreseeable future. - The application of dubious or 'untidy' legal arguments to accommodate regulated cannabis markets does little for the integrity of the regime, undermines respect for international law more broadly and is not sustainable. - Appealing to human rights obligations can provide powerful arguments to question full compliance with certain drug control treaty provisions, but does not in itself resolve the arguable conflict between different treaty obligations. - States may wish to adopt a stance of respectful temporary non-compliance as they pursue legally valid and appropriate options for the re-alignment of international obligations with domestic policy. - The nature of the international drug control regime's internal mechanisms does much to limit avenues for modernisation and forces states to consider extraordinary measures, such as the rightful choice made by Bolivia in relation to coca to withdraw and re-adhere with a new reservation. - Amongst reform options not requiring consensus, inter se modification appears to be the most 'elegant' approach and one that provides a useful safety valve for collective action to adjust a treaty regime arguably frozen in time. - Inter se modification would require the like-minded agreement to include a clear commitment to the original treaty aim to promote the health and welfare of humankind and to the original treaty obligations vis-a-vis countries not party to the agreement. - A legally-grounded and coordinated collective response has many clear benefits compared to a chaotic scenario of a growing number of different unilateral reservations and questionable re-interpretations. - Among other things, inter se modification would provide opportunities to experiment and learn from different models of regulation as well as open the possibility of international trade enabling small cannabis farmers in traditional Southern producing countries to supply the emerging regulated licit spaces in the global market. - Inter se modification would facilitate the development of what, within an international policy environment characterized by faux consensus, is increasingly necessary: a 'multi-speed drug control system' operating within the boundaries of international law, rather than one that strains against them.

Details: Swansea, UK: Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, 2018. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Report 7: Accessed April 5, 2018 at: https://www.wola.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Stability-Change-Inter-Se-Modification_GDPO-TNI-WOLA_March-2018.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: International

URL: https://www.wola.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Stability-Change-Inter-Se-Modification_GDPO-TNI-WOLA_March-2018.pdf

Shelf Number: 149703

Keywords:
Cannabis
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy
Illegal Drugs
Marijuana

Author: International Expert Group on Drug Policy Metrics

Title: Aligning Agendas: Drugs, Sustainable Development, and the Drive for Policy Coherence

Summary: Current drug policy too often has a negative impact on communities and runs counter to efforts to ameliorate poverty through sustainable development. However, this is often not captured by the metrics used to measure the impact of drug policy. One way to improve these metrics is to align them with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This would not only help overcome many of the limitations of drug policies resulting from suboptimal metrics but also make sure these policies enhance, rather than hinder, efforts to achieve the SDGs. This report analyzes how more precise, more complete, and better conceived metrics can help us to understand the impact of drug policy on sustainable development and the prospects of achieving the SDGs. The report is the result of over a year of work by the International Expert Group on Drug Policy Metrics, convened by the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum and the International Peace Institute. This group puts forward the following recommendations for the UN, member states, and the drug policy community: Develop a framework for policy coherence between drug policy and sustainable development. Create an external advisory committee bringing together experts on drug policy and sustainable development. Add SDG indicators related to drug policy. Put in place mechanisms to gather data on the effects of drug policies. Use the SDG indicators as a model for improving drug policy indicators. Prioritize outcome - rather than process-oriented metrics.

Details: New York: International Peace Institute, 2018. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1802_Aligning-Agendas.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: International

URL: https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1802_Aligning-Agendas.pdf

Shelf Number: 149982

Keywords:
Developing Countries
Drug Control
Drug Eradication
Drug Policy
Drug Policy Reform

Author: Guerrero Castro, Javier Enrique

Title: Maritime Interdiction in the War on Drugs in Colombia: Practices, Technologies and Technological Innovation

Summary: Since the early 1990s, maritime routes have been considered to be the main method used by Colombian smugglers to transport illicit drugs to consumer or transhipment countries. Smugglers purchase off the shelf solutions to transport illicit drugs, such as go-fast boats and communication equipment, but also invest in developing their own artefacts, such as makeshift submersible and semisubmersible artefacts, narcosubmarines. The Colombian Navy has adopted several strategies and adapted several technologies in their attempt to control the flows of illicit drugs. In this research I present an overview of the 'co-evolution' of drug trafficking technologies and the techniques and technologies used by the Colombian Navy to counter the activities of drug smugglers, emphasizing the process of self-building artefacts by smugglers and local responses by the Navy personnel. The diversity of smugglers artefacts are analysed as a result of local knowledge and dispersed peerinnovation. Novel uses of old technologies and practices of interdiction arise as the result of different forms of learning, among them a local form of knowledge 'malicia indigena' (local cunning). The procurement and use of interdiction boats and operational strategies by the Navy are shaped by interaction of two arenas: the arena of practice - the knowledge and experience of local commanders and their perceptions of interdiction events; and, the arena of command, which focuses on producing tangible results in order to reassert the Navy as a capable counterdrug agency. This thesis offers insights from Science and Technology Studies to the understanding of the 'War on Drugs, and in particular the Biography of Artifacts and Practices, perspective that combines historical and to ethnographic methods to engage different moments and locales. Special attention was given to the uneven access to information between different settings and the consequences of this asymmetry both for the research and also for the actors involved in the process. The empirical findings and theoretical insights contribute to understanding drug smuggling and military organisations and Enforcement Agencies in ways that can inform public policies regarding illicit drug control.

Details: Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 2017. 345p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 23, 2018 at: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/22950/Guerrero2017.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

Year: 2017

Country: Colombia

URL: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/22950/Guerrero2017.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 150324

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Enforcement
Drug Interdiction
Drug Trafficking
Smuggling
War on Drugs

Author: International Drug Policy Consortium

Title: Taking stock: A decade of drug policy. A civil society shadow report

Summary: 'Taking stock: A decade of drug policy' evaluates the impacts of drug policies implemented across the world over the past decade, using data from the United Nations (UN), complemented with peer-reviewed academic research and grey literature reports from civil society. The important role of civil society in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of global drug policies is recognised in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on drugs, as well as in the Outcome Document of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs. It is in this spirit that the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) has produced this Shadow Report, to contribute constructively to high-level discussions on the next decade in global drug policy. Conclusion The commitments and targets set in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action have not been achieved, and in many cases have resulted in counterproductive policies. The Shadow Report also raises a number of issues on the past and future evaluation of global drug policies. Firstly, the Report highlights the urgent need to conduct more thorough and regular research on the broader range of impacts of drug policies at local, national, regional and international level. Secondly, and related to the need for more research, the Report puts into question the sources of data currently being be used for such formal evaluations. These rely heavily on government reporting. A more comprehensive and balanced picture of the situation requires incorporating civil society and academic research. This is particularly important for sensitive issues related to drug policy and human rights. And thirdly, the lack of progress made towards the drug-free targets, along with the negative consequences associated with efforts to achieve those targets, mean that member states should reflect upon what to measure. Focusing exclusively on measuring the scale of the illegal drug market is clearly not enough to understand the impact of drug policy on the key UN Charter commitments to health, human rights, development, peace and security. The third section of this Shadow Report attempts to provide some recommendations which we hope will provide a useful starting point for further discussions as to which goals and metrics could be considered for the post-2019 global drug strategy. Recommendations -- In preparation for the 2019 Ministerial Segment, the IDPC network recommends that: The international community should consider adopting more meaningful goals and targets in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UNGASS Outcome Document and international human rights commitments, and move away from targets seeking to eliminate the illegal drug market. Post-2019, member states should meaningfully reflect upon the impacts of drug control on the UN goals of promoting health, human rights, development, peace and security - and adopt drug policies and strategies that actively contribute to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially for those most marginalised and vulnerable. Global drug policy debates going forward should reflect the realities of drug policies on the ground, both positive and negative, and discuss constructively the resulting tensions with the UN drug control treaties and any human rights concerns associated with drug control efforts. Beyond 2019, UN member states should end punitive drug control approaches and put people and communities first. This includes promoting and facilitating the participation of civil society and affected communities in all aspects of the design, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of drug policies.

Details: London: IDCP, 2018. 138p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2019 at: https://idpc.net/publications/2018/10/taking-stock-a-decade-of-drug-policy-a-civil-society-shadow-report?utm_source=IDPC+Monthly+Alert+%28English%29&utm_campaign=35eea0b244-IDPC+February+Alert+2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_801bc38237-35eea0b244-151900983

Year: 2018

Country: International

URL: https://idpc.net/publications/2018/10/taking-stock-a-decade-of-drug-policy-a-civil-society-shadow-report?utm_source=IDPC+Monthly+Alert+%28English%29&utm_campaign=35eea0b244-IDPC+February+Alert+2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0

Shelf Number: 154487

Keywords:
Drug Control
Drug Markets
Drug Policy
Illegal Drugs

Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

Title: European Drug Report 2019: Trends and Developments

Summary: The Trends and Developments report presents a top-level overview of the drug phenomenon in Europe, covering drug supply, use and public health problems as well as drug policy and responses. Together with the online Statistical Bulletin and 30 Country Drug Reports, it makes up the 2019 European Drug Report package. Table of contents -- Preface - Introductory note and acknowledgements - Commentary - Chapter 1: Drug supply and the market Chapter 2: Drug use prevalence and trends Chapter 3: Drug-related harms and responses Annex: National data tables

Details: Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019. 95p.

Source: Internet Resource: accessed June 6, 2019 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends-developments/2019_en

Year: 2019

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends-developments/2019_en

Shelf Number: 156230

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addiction (Europe)
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Abuse Policy
Drug Control
Drug Offenders
Illicit Drugs

Author: Global Commission on Drug Policy

Title: Classification of Drugs: when science was left behind,

Summary: In Classification of Drugs: when science was left behind, the Global Commission on Drug Policy explains how the biased historical classification of psychoactive substances has contributed to the "world drug problem". It is the first-ever comprehensive report providing a political reading of the current evaluation and classification, or "scheduling" of drugs according to their harms. Psychoactive substances should be classified with regard to their potential for dependence and other harms. This is not the case today, where some substances are legally available because they are considered beneficial (medicines) or culturally important (alcohol), while others are seen as destructive, and are strictly prohibited. The classification of drugs is at the core of the international drug control system. As such, governments must ensure that such a classification is pragmatic and based on science and evidence, makes clear the benefits and harms of drugs, and allows for responsible legal regulatory models to control drugs.

Details: Geneva: Author, 2019. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2019 at: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports/classification-psychoactive-substances?mc_cid=bfe5537532&mc_eid=778a383071

Year: 2019

Country: International

URL: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports/classification-psychoactive-substances?mc_cid=bfe5537532&mc_eid=778a383071

Shelf Number: 156733

Keywords:
Drug Classification
Drug Control
Drug Policy
Psychoactive Substances

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