After the Grand Fracture: Scenarios for the Collapse of the International Drug Control Regime

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Caulkins
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Dynamic Game ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Strategic Game ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Proper Perspective ◽  
Control Regime ◽  
Primary Contribution

AbstractInternational prohibitions create asymmetries; production and transshipment concentrate in relatively few places that bear the bulk of the negative externalities created by the illegal trade. These externalities fuel calls for altering the United Nations treaty framework and for individual nations to legalize outside of the framework. Analyses of the pros and cons of legalization usually adopt the perspective of a single nation acting in isolation. However, one nation’s legalization alters incentives for others to act, and not always in obvious ways. So the proper perspective is that of a dynamic game.The primary contribution of this paper is to make the case for analyzing legalization as a strategic game, but it also offers preliminary analysis for the case of cocaine. Tentative conclusions include:

scholarly journals Towards Global Governance: The Inadequacies of the UN Drug Control Regime

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 291-295
Author(s):  
Antonia Eliason ◽  
Robert Howse
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
War On Drugs ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Criminal Justice Reform ◽  
Psychotropic Substances ◽  
United Nations Convention ◽  
Global War ◽  
Control Regime ◽  
Illicit Traffic

Human rights and the UN drug control regime have long had an uneasy relationship, which is evident today in the tensions that exist between criminal justice reform advocates, the institutions of the UN drug control regime, and economic interests that stand to benefit from decriminalization and legalization efforts. The UN drug control regime's relationship with human rights cannot be properly discussed without acknowledging its colonial and racist roots. From the earliest agreement on drug control in 1909, born out of the crisis of opium dependency caused by the forced opening of China to trade in opium by the British, to the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which was a product of America's war on drugs, international efforts to regulate drugs have never been for the benefit of those who have suffered the most from both the supply of drugs and its criminalization. The war on drugs has been a global war from the beginning, arising out of colonial structures that centered white/European racial dominance. The inadequacies of the international drug regime and current efforts to reform it are rooted in this historical legacy. In light of this, we argue that efforts by international bodies to center human rights in the discussion on reforming the UN drug control regime are, so far, insufficient. Only through recognizing the power imbalances at play can we advance the possibility of a system that values individuals and responds to a changing landscape where corporate interests are coming to the table in the context of decriminalization and legalization.

Drugs and Crime

2019 ◽  
pp. 266-284
Author(s):  
Martin Jelsma ◽  
David Bewley-Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Organized Crime ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Transnational Organized Crime ◽  
Psychotropic Substances ◽  
Issue Area ◽  
Drugs And Crime ◽  
Control Regime ◽  
Illicit Traffic ◽  
Narcotic Drugs

This chapter discusses the relatively little-known convention framework focusing on the traditionally connected issues of drugs and crime and the differing consequences of treaty flexibility within each domain. It begins with an overview of the evolution and expansion in scope of the international drug control regime and its structural focus on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and illicit traffic in both. A range of growing tensions are discussed as views of the issue area among member states diverge and systemic dissonance across the UN becomes more obvious, particularly in relation to human rights. The chapter then moves on to examine the development of the transnational organized crime and corruption regime and assessment of the conventions upon which it is based. It concludes by looking to the future with a discussion of some of the available options to address tensions within the drug control regime, including what lessons might be learned from the governance structures of their sister crime control conventions.

‘Concerned with the Health and Welfare of Mankind …’ The un Drug Conventions – A Suitable Legal Framework for the 21st Century?

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 368-404
Author(s):  
Robin Geiß ◽  
Daniel Wisehart
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Zero Tolerance ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Tolerance Approach ◽  
Control Regime

The contribution analyses whether the un Drug Conventions still serve their original purpose, namely the furtherance of the health and welfare of mankind in the 21st century. To this end the contribution begins with an outline of how the un Drug Conventions aim to protect mankind’s health and welfare. On this basis it is inquired whether un Drug Conventions are somehow irreversibly imbued with a zero-tolerance approach that undermines the health and welfare of vulnerable groups on both ends of the supply chain respectively. Thus, with respect to the supply side the question is pursued whether the un Drug Conventions provisions on crop cultivation imperil the livelihoods of rural communities. With regard to the demand side it is examined whether the un Drug Conventions forestall the adoption of more liberal, i.e. non-punitive and health-oriented approaches towards illicit drug users. In a next step, the analysis turns to a long-standing and currently particularly prevalent criticism according to which the international drug control regime puts disproportionate pressure on so-called drug producing and drug transit States, while turning a blind eye on the so-called drug consuming States. In concluding, the contribution turns to the question how the international drug control system could be enhanced to better meet its proper goals of protecting mankind’s health and welfare.

scholarly journals Mexico’s “ley de narcomenudeo” drug policy reform and the international drug control regime

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim K Mackey ◽  
Daniel Werb ◽  
Leo Beletsky ◽  
Gudelia Rangel ◽  
Jaime Arredondo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Policy Reform ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Control Regime ◽  
Drug Policy Reform

No end in sight: the international drug control system once again baulks at the prospect of reform

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-171
Author(s):  
Klein Axel ◽  
Blaine Stothard
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Control Regime ◽  
Made In

Purpose In two separate sections the authors summarise the observations, use the insights to reflect on some of the propositions made in the book, and follow the appeal of one of the authors to civil society and academics to “help governments out of the drug policy dilemma that is now facing them”. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The genre the authors follow here is ethnography and the material takes the form of reflective field notes. Since each author follows a particular set of interests the authors split the paper into two sections. There are no strong conclusions, safe that the concerns about the international drug control system were fully borne out by events on the floor. Findings The role of CSOs is critical in moving the process forward – but countries are likely to drift apart as the policy differences are becoming inrreconcilable. Research limitations/implications It is imperative to develop new models of cooperation in the management of psychactive substances. Practical implications This is in recognition that at national level just as much as at Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and UN General Assembly Special Session the increased involvement of CSOs has been pivotal in shifting focus towards public health and human rights. This in turn has encouraged some nations to do the same in their domestic policies – and to stand up and say so in CND meetings. Social implications More involvement of academics and editorial teams in the design of sustainable policies and practices. Originality/value In a critical report on the CND the authors challenge the viability of the international drug control regime in view of the emerging differences between different member states. This is the first attempt in the drug policy literature to assess the durability of the drug control regime as it is faced by the fast paced transformation of cannabis into a recognised medicine and regulated recreational substance. If the appearance of agreement is maintained this is entirely for diplomatic reasons and organisational benefit. In reality, the system is breaking apart and new methods for regulating drugs are emerging.

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