Thomas F. Babor, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David R. Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore S. Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Drug use represents a significant burden to public health, through disease, disability and social problems, and policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in how to develop evidence-based ...
More
Drug use represents a significant burden to public health, through disease, disability and social problems, and policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in how to develop evidence-based drug policy. It is therefore crucial to strengthen the links between addiction science and drug policy. Drug Policy and the Public Good is collaboratively written by an international group of career scientists, to provide an analytical basis on which to build relevant global drug policies, and to inform policy makers who have direct responsibility for public health and social welfare. Drug Policy and the Public Good presents the accumulated scientific knowledge on illicit drugs that has direct relevance to the development of drug policy on local, national, and international levels. The authors describe the conceptual basis for a rational drug policy, and present new epidemiological data on the global dimensions of drug misuse. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in five general areas of drug policy: primary prevention programs in schools and other settings; supply reduction approaches, including drug interdiction and legal enforcement; treatment interventions and harm reduction approaches; criminal sanctions and decriminalization; and control of the legal market through prescription drug regimes. The final chapters discuss the current state of drug policy in different parts of the world, and describe the need for a new approach to drug policy that is evidence-based, realistic, and coordinated.Less
Drug use represents a significant burden to public health, through disease, disability and social problems, and policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in how to develop evidence-based drug policy. It is therefore crucial to strengthen the links between addiction science and drug policy. Drug Policy and the Public Good is collaboratively written by an international group of career scientists, to provide an analytical basis on which to build relevant global drug policies, and to inform policy makers who have direct responsibility for public health and social welfare. Drug Policy and the Public Good presents the accumulated scientific knowledge on illicit drugs that has direct relevance to the development of drug policy on local, national, and international levels. The authors describe the conceptual basis for a rational drug policy, and present new epidemiological data on the global dimensions of drug misuse. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in five general areas of drug policy: primary prevention programs in schools and other settings; supply reduction approaches, including drug interdiction and legal enforcement; treatment interventions and harm reduction approaches; criminal sanctions and decriminalization; and control of the legal market through prescription drug regimes. The final chapters discuss the current state of drug policy in different parts of the world, and describe the need for a new approach to drug policy that is evidence-based, realistic, and coordinated.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.014
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter describes some of the observed policy variation and its sources, so that readers can better understand their own country's choices and how they are framed. It begins by describing the ...
More
This chapter describes some of the observed policy variation and its sources, so that readers can better understand their own country's choices and how they are framed. It begins by describing the range of drug problems and policies in two very different countries, Mexico and Sweden. These illustrate the interconnections among problems, context, and policies. This is followed by a more parsimonious characterization of the variation in the problems and policies of seven nations: China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. All seven have serious drug problems that differ in nature, to which they also have responded in diverse ways. The remainder of the chapter elaborates the nature and consequences of the differences. The principal focus here is on policy variation across countries, but there is also important variation within a country. Laws are unlikely to differ much across states or municipalities, but they may be implemented in very different ways.Less
This chapter describes some of the observed policy variation and its sources, so that readers can better understand their own country's choices and how they are framed. It begins by describing the range of drug problems and policies in two very different countries, Mexico and Sweden. These illustrate the interconnections among problems, context, and policies. This is followed by a more parsimonious characterization of the variation in the problems and policies of seven nations: China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. All seven have serious drug problems that differ in nature, to which they also have responded in diverse ways. The remainder of the chapter elaborates the nature and consequences of the differences. The principal focus here is on policy variation across countries, but there is also important variation within a country. Laws are unlikely to differ much across states or municipalities, but they may be implemented in very different ways.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter begins with a brief description of the focus of this book, namely the scientific evidence on the impact of policy responses to drug use. It then discusses why drug policy matters, the ...
More
This chapter begins with a brief description of the focus of this book, namely the scientific evidence on the impact of policy responses to drug use. It then discusses why drug policy matters, the meaning of the term drug policy, and four reasons why policymakers and those involved in drug policy should invest precious time in perusal of this volume. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.Less
This chapter begins with a brief description of the focus of this book, namely the scientific evidence on the impact of policy responses to drug use. It then discusses why drug policy matters, the meaning of the term drug policy, and four reasons why policymakers and those involved in drug policy should invest precious time in perusal of this volume. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.016
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
At the beginning of this book it was asserted that drug policy can be improved by greater attention to scientific evidence, and thereby can better serve the public good. To justify that claim, the ...
More
At the beginning of this book it was asserted that drug policy can be improved by greater attention to scientific evidence, and thereby can better serve the public good. To justify that claim, the complex nature of drug use and drug problems was discussed, and different intervention approaches were systematically evaluated. The authors hope that by this point it has become clear that science offers a range of findings which can inform the development of effective drug policy. Nevertheless, the current patchwork of drug policy responses by modern societies and international organizations takes little account of the available research. This chapter explores the implications of this situation for policymakers and practitioners, and presents 10 scientifically grounded conclusions about drug policy.Less
At the beginning of this book it was asserted that drug policy can be improved by greater attention to scientific evidence, and thereby can better serve the public good. To justify that claim, the complex nature of drug use and drug problems was discussed, and different intervention approaches were systematically evaluated. The authors hope that by this point it has become clear that science offers a range of findings which can inform the development of effective drug policy. Nevertheless, the current patchwork of drug policy responses by modern societies and international organizations takes little account of the available research. This chapter explores the implications of this situation for policymakers and practitioners, and presents 10 scientifically grounded conclusions about drug policy.
Letizia Paoli, Victoria A. Greenfield, and Peter Reuter
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195322996
- eISBN:
- 9780199944194
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195322996.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance, Comparative and Historical Sociology
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the possibility of reducing opiate and heroin production. The result reveals that drug control policy, especially governments' enforcement of ...
More
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the possibility of reducing opiate and heroin production. The result reveals that drug control policy, especially governments' enforcement of prohibitions on production and trade, and properties of addiction can help explain important differences in the reduction of opiate and heroin production, largely through their divergent effects on production, trafficking, and consumption. This chapter identifies the determinants of opiate and heroin production, trafficking, and consumption. It contends that the main rationale for long-term policy should be to minimize the adverse consequences associated with opiate production, trafficking, and consumption in terms of human health, welfare, violence, corruption, and conflict.Less
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the possibility of reducing opiate and heroin production. The result reveals that drug control policy, especially governments' enforcement of prohibitions on production and trade, and properties of addiction can help explain important differences in the reduction of opiate and heroin production, largely through their divergent effects on production, trafficking, and consumption. This chapter identifies the determinants of opiate and heroin production, trafficking, and consumption. It contends that the main rationale for long-term policy should be to minimize the adverse consequences associated with opiate production, trafficking, and consumption in terms of human health, welfare, violence, corruption, and conflict.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.013
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter begins with a discussion of the global expansion of psychoactive substance use. It then discusses current international drug control treaties, the implementation of the treaties, the ...
More
This chapter begins with a discussion of the global expansion of psychoactive substance use. It then discusses current international drug control treaties, the implementation of the treaties, the dominant role of the USA, and the effects of the international drug control system.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the global expansion of psychoactive substance use. It then discusses current international drug control treaties, the implementation of the treaties, the dominant role of the USA, and the effects of the international drug control system.
David F. Musto and Pamela Korsmeyer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300090369
- eISBN:
- 9780300137842
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300090369.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter looks at the Carter administration, which is noted to have ended with an irresolute drug policy. Jimmy Carter is shown to have had an open mind about marijuana; this soon changed as the ...
More
This chapter looks at the Carter administration, which is noted to have ended with an irresolute drug policy. Jimmy Carter is shown to have had an open mind about marijuana; this soon changed as the political and social climate caused a withdrawal of support for marijuana decriminalization. It talks about the Parents' Movement, which took over the debate surrounding marijuana and drugs in general. This chapter ends with a note that Ronald Reagan would adopt policies similar to Richard Nixon's, which would eventually lead to a decline in public drug toleration.Less
This chapter looks at the Carter administration, which is noted to have ended with an irresolute drug policy. Jimmy Carter is shown to have had an open mind about marijuana; this soon changed as the political and social climate caused a withdrawal of support for marijuana decriminalization. It talks about the Parents' Movement, which took over the debate surrounding marijuana and drugs in general. This chapter ends with a note that Ronald Reagan would adopt policies similar to Richard Nixon's, which would eventually lead to a decline in public drug toleration.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.010
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter is about supply control approaches to drug problems, a set of interventions targeting the production, distribution, and sale of illicit psychoactive substances. It begins by explaining ...
More
This chapter is about supply control approaches to drug problems, a set of interventions targeting the production, distribution, and sale of illicit psychoactive substances. It begins by explaining the distinctions between law enforcement and supply control. Because supply control traditionally focuses on enforcement against producers and dealers, an analytical framework is presented that links different kinds of enforcement to different layers in the drug distribution chain described in Chapter 5. The remainder of the chapter is organized by the supply level that is targeted by an intervention: production/refining, international trafficking, high-level domestic enforcement, and retail enforcement. The final section presents an assessment of what is currently understood about the effectiveness of the different programmes.Less
This chapter is about supply control approaches to drug problems, a set of interventions targeting the production, distribution, and sale of illicit psychoactive substances. It begins by explaining the distinctions between law enforcement and supply control. Because supply control traditionally focuses on enforcement against producers and dealers, an analytical framework is presented that links different kinds of enforcement to different layers in the drug distribution chain described in Chapter 5. The remainder of the chapter is organized by the supply level that is targeted by an intervention: production/refining, international trafficking, high-level domestic enforcement, and retail enforcement. The final section presents an assessment of what is currently understood about the effectiveness of the different programmes.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.015
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Drug users receive help from a variety of health and social services that have been specifically developed for them and that are reviewed in Chapter 9. This chapter moves up one level of analysis to ...
More
Drug users receive help from a variety of health and social services that have been specifically developed for them and that are reviewed in Chapter 9. This chapter moves up one level of analysis to consider service programmes in the context of larger systems and their population-level impact. It discusses how health and social service programmes interact with each other and with the more generalized types of service programmes that drug users commonly access, for example those that provide vocational training, welfare benefits, and emergency health care. It also discusses how service systems are organized, funded, and managed.Less
Drug users receive help from a variety of health and social services that have been specifically developed for them and that are reviewed in Chapter 9. This chapter moves up one level of analysis to consider service programmes in the context of larger systems and their population-level impact. It discusses how health and social service programmes interact with each other and with the more generalized types of service programmes that drug users commonly access, for example those that provide vocational training, welfare benefits, and emergency health care. It also discusses how service systems are organized, funded, and managed.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.007
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter discusses the context of addiction science as an aid to policy formation and implementation. It also explains how the scientific evidence for policy options was reviewed and organized, ...
More
This chapter discusses the context of addiction science as an aid to policy formation and implementation. It also explains how the scientific evidence for policy options was reviewed and organized, the rules that guided the presentation and interpretation of the evidence.Less
This chapter discusses the context of addiction science as an aid to policy formation and implementation. It also explains how the scientific evidence for policy options was reviewed and organized, the rules that guided the presentation and interpretation of the evidence.
David F. Musto and Pamela Korsmeyer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300090369
- eISBN:
- 9780300137842
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300090369.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Between 1960 and 1980 various administrations attempted to deal with a rising tide of illicit drug use that was unprecedented in U.S. history. This book provides a close look at the politics and ...
More
Between 1960 and 1980 various administrations attempted to deal with a rising tide of illicit drug use that was unprecedented in U.S. history. This book provides a close look at the politics and bureaucracy of drug control policy during those years, showing how they changed during the presidencies of Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter and how much current federal drug-control policies owe to those earlier efforts. The book bases its analysis on a unique collection of 5,000 pages of White House documents from the period. These documents reveal the intense debates that took place over drug policy. They show, for example, that staffers and cabinet officers who were charged with narcotics policy were often influenced by the cultural currents of their times, and when the public reacted in an extreme fashion to rising drug use, officials were disinclined to adopt modified policies that might have been more realistic. This investigation into the decision-making processes that shaped past drug control efforts in the United States provides essential background as creative approaches to the drug problem are sought for the future.Less
Between 1960 and 1980 various administrations attempted to deal with a rising tide of illicit drug use that was unprecedented in U.S. history. This book provides a close look at the politics and bureaucracy of drug control policy during those years, showing how they changed during the presidencies of Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter and how much current federal drug-control policies owe to those earlier efforts. The book bases its analysis on a unique collection of 5,000 pages of White House documents from the period. These documents reveal the intense debates that took place over drug policy. They show, for example, that staffers and cabinet officers who were charged with narcotics policy were often influenced by the cultural currents of their times, and when the public reacted in an extreme fashion to rising drug use, officials were disinclined to adopt modified policies that might have been more realistic. This investigation into the decision-making processes that shaped past drug control efforts in the United States provides essential background as creative approaches to the drug problem are sought for the future.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.012
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter examines how well prescription regimes perform their role of allowing psychoactive substances to be consumed for approved, i.e., medical, purposes, while preventing their use for ...
More
This chapter examines how well prescription regimes perform their role of allowing psychoactive substances to be consumed for approved, i.e., medical, purposes, while preventing their use for non-approved purposes. It begins with a description of the prescription system that now operates in developed nations, and then lays out the regulatory tools which can influence prescription practices. It focuses on a relatively new set of studies that evaluate these interventions in terms of how they affect drug consumption and patient health. The final parts of the chapter consider the control of psychopharmaceuticals by mechanisms outside of the prescription regimes, such as efforts to control deceptive marketing and to reduce diversion through law enforcement.Less
This chapter examines how well prescription regimes perform their role of allowing psychoactive substances to be consumed for approved, i.e., medical, purposes, while preventing their use for non-approved purposes. It begins with a description of the prescription system that now operates in developed nations, and then lays out the regulatory tools which can influence prescription practices. It focuses on a relatively new set of studies that evaluate these interventions in terms of how they affect drug consumption and patient health. The final parts of the chapter consider the control of psychopharmaceuticals by mechanisms outside of the prescription regimes, such as efforts to control deceptive marketing and to reduce diversion through law enforcement.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.011
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter reviews policies designed to deter drug use, through criminal sanctions on the possession and use of psychoactive substances. It shows that enforcement can reduce demand via deterrence, ...
More
This chapter reviews policies designed to deter drug use, through criminal sanctions on the possession and use of psychoactive substances. It shows that enforcement can reduce demand via deterrence, incapacitation, and/or rehabilitation.Less
This chapter reviews policies designed to deter drug use, through criminal sanctions on the possession and use of psychoactive substances. It shows that enforcement can reduce demand via deterrence, incapacitation, and/or rehabilitation.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.008
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter focuses on strategies aimed at young people in school, family, and community settings. There has been an improvement in the evidence base over recent years and there is now convincing ...
More
This chapter focuses on strategies aimed at young people in school, family, and community settings. There has been an improvement in the evidence base over recent years and there is now convincing evidence for family-oriented and classroom management prevention efforts, although this is based on a relatively small number of studies from the USA.Less
This chapter focuses on strategies aimed at young people in school, family, and community settings. There has been an improvement in the evidence base over recent years and there is now convincing evidence for family-oriented and classroom management prevention efforts, although this is based on a relatively small number of studies from the USA.
Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins, Griffith Edwards, Benedikt Fischer, David Foxcroft, Keith Humphreys, Isidore Obot, Jürgen Rehm, Peter Reuter, Robin Room, Ingeborg Rossow, and John Strang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557127
- eISBN:
- 9780191721373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557127.003.009
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter describes services designed to change the behaviour of drug users, with the aim of benefiting them and those people around them. The goals of such services are diverse, and may include ...
More
This chapter describes services designed to change the behaviour of drug users, with the aim of benefiting them and those people around them. The goals of such services are diverse, and may include initiating or maintaining abstinence from drugs, reducing the amount or frequency of drug use, or changing behaviours other than drug use (e.g. criminal activity, needle sharing). The chapter focuses on the outcomes of various types of health and social services.Less
This chapter describes services designed to change the behaviour of drug users, with the aim of benefiting them and those people around them. The goals of such services are diverse, and may include initiating or maintaining abstinence from drugs, reducing the amount or frequency of drug use, or changing behaviours other than drug use (e.g. criminal activity, needle sharing). The chapter focuses on the outcomes of various types of health and social services.
Natasha Du Rose
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781847426727
- eISBN:
- 9781447307839
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847426727.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Crime and Justice
This book is about the ways in which the governance of illicit drug use shapes female dependent drug users’ lives. It argues female drug users’ subjectivities, and hence their experiences, are shaped ...
More
This book is about the ways in which the governance of illicit drug use shapes female dependent drug users’ lives. It argues female drug users’ subjectivities, and hence their experiences, are shaped and regulated by drug policies. The relationship between the social regulation of female drug users and the “making up” of their identities is investigated. It explores the dominant governmental technologies of power from which the key constructions of women as “problematic” drug users emanate in the UK, Canada and the US: punishment and prohibition, medicalisation and welfarisation. It also investigates the meanings that women who identify as having dependent drug use attach to their drug use and themselves. Insights are gathered from the in-depth accounts of 40 female drug users in the UK. The book argues, in the regulation of illicit drug using women, particular subjectivities are constructed which, in themselves, become part of the narrative sustaining women in their problematic drug use. It asserts that female users experience drug policy as something that exacerbates their social and economic marginalisation and contributes to their lives being plunged into further marginalisation. At the same time, it analyses the contradictory choices, adaptations and resistances of female users. Although women users internalise many of the negative constructions of them found in policy discourse they also find ways to resist them. Popular misconceptions of female users which condition oppressive interventions are subverted with the hope of contributing to the formulation of drug policies based on empowerment, gender equity and social justice.Less
This book is about the ways in which the governance of illicit drug use shapes female dependent drug users’ lives. It argues female drug users’ subjectivities, and hence their experiences, are shaped and regulated by drug policies. The relationship between the social regulation of female drug users and the “making up” of their identities is investigated. It explores the dominant governmental technologies of power from which the key constructions of women as “problematic” drug users emanate in the UK, Canada and the US: punishment and prohibition, medicalisation and welfarisation. It also investigates the meanings that women who identify as having dependent drug use attach to their drug use and themselves. Insights are gathered from the in-depth accounts of 40 female drug users in the UK. The book argues, in the regulation of illicit drug using women, particular subjectivities are constructed which, in themselves, become part of the narrative sustaining women in their problematic drug use. It asserts that female users experience drug policy as something that exacerbates their social and economic marginalisation and contributes to their lives being plunged into further marginalisation. At the same time, it analyses the contradictory choices, adaptations and resistances of female users. Although women users internalise many of the negative constructions of them found in policy discourse they also find ways to resist them. Popular misconceptions of female users which condition oppressive interventions are subverted with the hope of contributing to the formulation of drug policies based on empowerment, gender equity and social justice.
Philip Bean
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847423757
- eISBN:
- 9781447302698
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847423757.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
Government policy has steadfastly been against drug legalisation, but increasingly critics have argued that this is unsustainable. This book is a timely examination of the issues this raises. ...
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Government policy has steadfastly been against drug legalisation, but increasingly critics have argued that this is unsustainable. This book is a timely examination of the issues this raises. Numerous suggestions have been offered. Some seek complete legalisation, others a more modified form, yet still others want an increasing commitment to harm reduction policies. The book examines the implications of these proposals for individuals, especially juveniles, and for society, when set against crime reduction claims. It concludes with the necessary questions a rational drug policy must answer.Less
Government policy has steadfastly been against drug legalisation, but increasingly critics have argued that this is unsustainable. This book is a timely examination of the issues this raises. Numerous suggestions have been offered. Some seek complete legalisation, others a more modified form, yet still others want an increasing commitment to harm reduction policies. The book examines the implications of these proposals for individuals, especially juveniles, and for society, when set against crime reduction claims. It concludes with the necessary questions a rational drug policy must answer.
Mark Monaghan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847426970
- eISBN:
- 9781447302247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847426970.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
This chapter turns to how the evidence and policy relationship in politicised areas can be explained. It considers some theoretical and methodological tools that can be used to explore the nature of ...
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This chapter turns to how the evidence and policy relationship in politicised areas can be explained. It considers some theoretical and methodological tools that can be used to explore the nature of evidence use in politicised policy areas. A central premise of the evidence-based movement is that it is consistent with pluralist models of the policy process and that many of these have been, or can be, employed in drugs research. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of some of the main pluralist accounts of the policy process. A modified version of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) provides the most potential for exploring the evidence and policy connection in heavily politicised areas because of its focus on conflict in the policy arena, conflict being a defining feature of politicised policies. The next part connects the history of UK drug policy with the modified version of the ACF.Less
This chapter turns to how the evidence and policy relationship in politicised areas can be explained. It considers some theoretical and methodological tools that can be used to explore the nature of evidence use in politicised policy areas. A central premise of the evidence-based movement is that it is consistent with pluralist models of the policy process and that many of these have been, or can be, employed in drugs research. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of some of the main pluralist accounts of the policy process. A modified version of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) provides the most potential for exploring the evidence and policy connection in heavily politicised areas because of its focus on conflict in the policy arena, conflict being a defining feature of politicised policies. The next part connects the history of UK drug policy with the modified version of the ACF.
Mark Monaghan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847426970
- eISBN:
- 9781447302247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847426970.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
This chapter provides background information to the case study through which the complex nature of evidence utilisation is explored. It charts the origins and the impact of the implementation of the ...
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This chapter provides background information to the case study through which the complex nature of evidence utilisation is explored. It charts the origins and the impact of the implementation of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA 1971) and points out that the passing of the MDA 1971 created the first UK government drugs advisory board. The chapter goes on to explain how, until recently, the Act remained relatively stable despite significant perturbations in the UK drug scene from the 1980s onwards. Following on from this, it covers the developments in UK drug policy in light of the election of the New Labour government in 1997. The chapter also documents the centrality of drug classification issues in contemporary drug debates and how this links to the evidence-based policy movement. In effect, the 2004 cannabis reclassification, it argues, witnessed a collision between UK drugs policy and the evidence-based endeavour.Less
This chapter provides background information to the case study through which the complex nature of evidence utilisation is explored. It charts the origins and the impact of the implementation of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA 1971) and points out that the passing of the MDA 1971 created the first UK government drugs advisory board. The chapter goes on to explain how, until recently, the Act remained relatively stable despite significant perturbations in the UK drug scene from the 1980s onwards. Following on from this, it covers the developments in UK drug policy in light of the election of the New Labour government in 1997. The chapter also documents the centrality of drug classification issues in contemporary drug debates and how this links to the evidence-based policy movement. In effect, the 2004 cannabis reclassification, it argues, witnessed a collision between UK drugs policy and the evidence-based endeavour.
John J. Donohue III, Benjamin Ewing, and David Peloquin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226115122
- eISBN:
- 9780226115139
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226115139.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
This chapter begins with an overview of America's illegal drug problem, sketching consumption patterns, current policy, and the social costs of illegal drugs under America's basic regime of ...
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This chapter begins with an overview of America's illegal drug problem, sketching consumption patterns, current policy, and the social costs of illegal drugs under America's basic regime of criminalization. It turns to the particular cases of marijuana and cocaine, analyzing three potential regimes—criminalization, depenalization, and legalization. The chapter also addresses the two most significant sources of social costs from cocaine—crime and incarceration—and includes a commentary at the end.Less
This chapter begins with an overview of America's illegal drug problem, sketching consumption patterns, current policy, and the social costs of illegal drugs under America's basic regime of criminalization. It turns to the particular cases of marijuana and cocaine, analyzing three potential regimes—criminalization, depenalization, and legalization. The chapter also addresses the two most significant sources of social costs from cocaine—crime and incarceration—and includes a commentary at the end.
