drug policies
Recently Published Documents


TOTAL DOCUMENTS

347
(FIVE YEARS 77)

H-INDEX

19
(FIVE YEARS 3)

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e10-e11
Author(s):  
Ed Holt
Keyword(s):  

10.16993/bbo ◽  
2021 ◽  

The drug policies of the Nordic countries have been relatively strict. Since this seems to contradict the internationally recognized liberal criminal policy in general, analyses have been devoted to try to understand this gap. Why doesn’t the “Scandinavian exceptionalism” apply to the drug policies? The new question in relation to drug policy is, however, if and how the Nordic countries will adapt to a situation when several countries all over the world are questioning ‘the war on drugs’ and orienting themselves in the direction of decriminalization and legalization. An analysis of a possible change in drug policies must be undertaken against the background of the existing policies. There are both similarities and differences between the five countries. A common feature is a stress on the demand side through both treatment and punishments directed against the user and abuser. Differences are shown in degrees of toughness in drug policies with Sweden strongest stressing a zero-tolerance stand and Denmark being the most liberal in the Nordic context. The strong welfare state ideology of all the countries is important for understanding the obstacles to a more liberal and permissive drug policy. The welfare state is an interventionist state. To not do anything about what is considered to be a problem both for the individual and the society is just not an option. In most of the countries the traditions from the temperance movements also have influenced the drug policies through the stepping-stone or gateway theory, not making a distinction between soft and hard drugs. At the same time, a number of facts and processes work in the direction of change. The drug policies of the countries have not delivered, including high numbers of drug-related deaths. The debate has opened up in just a short period of time. Many of the political youth parties demand decriminalisation of use of drugs and so have some public authorities. Human rights arguments are increasingly being put forward as a critique of police interventions. A tendency for politicians to meet the critique seems to be to separate the marginal abuser from the recreational user. The first one should be given treatment and care according to welfare state ideology. The second one, however, could be punished since the user in line with neo-liberal theory can choose and by the use contributes to the drug trade and even the killings in poor suburbs. The Nordic countries stand at a crossroads, but what new roads will be taken is far from clear.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Henrik Tham

In relation to the research question if there will be a change in the drug policies of the Nordic countries indicators of drug use and policies are presented in order to demonstrate both similarities and differences between the five countries that constitute the starting point for a possible change.


2021 ◽  
pp. 239-265
Author(s):  
Johan Edman

The traditionally strict alcohol policies of the Nordic countries have all been liberalized. This leads to an increasing policy gap in relation to the drug policies. A prognosis is made about the future of drug policy in Sweden based on the development of alcohol policy – the market will ultimately decide.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Daniels ◽  
Aggrey Aluso ◽  
Naomi Burke-Shyne ◽  
Kojo Koram ◽  
Suchitra Rajagopalan ◽  
...  

AbstractThis paper reviews evidence of how drug control has been used to uphold colonial power structures in select countries. It demonstrates the racist and xenophobic impact of drug control policy and proposes a path to move beyond oppressive systems and structures. The ‘colonization of drug control’ refers to the use of drug control by states in Europe and America to advance and sustain the systematic exploitation of people, land and resources and the racialized hierarchies, which were established under colonial control and continue to dominate today. Globally, Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples are disproportionately targeted for drug law enforcement and face discrimination across the criminal system. These communities face higher arrest, prosecution and incarceration rates for drug offenses than other communities, such as majority populations, despite similar rates of drug use and selling among (and between) different races. Current drug policies have contributed to an increase in drug-related deaths, overdoses and sustained transnational criminal enterprises at the expense of the lives of people who use drugs, their families and greater society. This review provides further evidence of the need to reform the current system. It outlines a three-pillared approach to rebuilding drug policy in a way that supports health, dignity and human rights, consisting of: (1) the decriminalization of drugs and their use; (2) an end to the mass incarceration of people who use drugs; (3) the redirection of funding away from ineffective and punitive drug control and toward health and social programs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 145507252110573
Author(s):  
Matilda Hellman

Kettil Bruun is best known for the total consumption model introduced in 1975 in the collective work “Alcohol control policy in public health perspective”. There were three tracks in particular that led Bruun's research towards the total consumption model: research on the distribution of power, research on international drug policies, and his contributions to criminology and social policy. Kettil Bruun’s lifework shows that the innovation, intersectionality, and synergy which are now rehearsed in pompous research strategies were a non-question 40 years ago. These aspects were a natural part of the scientific pursuit of answers. Maybe in a much more modest and homemade form, but all the more import in terms of applicability at the general level of principle.


2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107691
Author(s):  
Monica Magalhaes

Orphan drug policy often gives ‘special treatment’ to rare diseases, by giving additional priority or making exceptions to specific drugs, based on the rarity of the conditions they aim to treat. This essay argues that the goal of orphan drug policy should be to make prevalence irrelevant to funding decisions. It aims to demonstrate that it is severity, not prevalence, which drives our judgments that important claims are being overlooked when treatments for severe rare diseases are not funded. It shows that prioritising severity avoids problems caused by prioritising rarity, and that it is compatible with a range of normative frameworks. The implications of a severity-based view for drug development are then derived. The severity-based view also accounts for what is wrong with how the current system of drug development unfairly neglects common diseases that burden the developing world. Lastly, the implications of a severity-based view for current orphan drug policies are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Abdulazeez Towobola ◽  
Basirat Towobola ◽  
Bosky Nair ◽  
Arti Makwana

Aims and method As drug policies pertaining to cannabis use become more liberalised, the prevalence of cannabis use in pregnancy could increase. However, there is limited guidance available for clinicians. This paper presents a narrative review of literature published in the past 16 years (2006–2021) to (a) address the impact of legalisation and decriminalisation on the risks, ethics and support of women who use cannabis during pregnancy and (b) develop guidance for clinicians. Results Both national and international trends suggest increased use of cannabis over the past decade, while the risks of cannabis use for recreational or medicinal purposes in pregnancy remain unmitigated. Clinical implications This review confirmed that the recommendation of cannabinoid-based products for pregnant and breast-feeding women is currently premature. More research is needed to address safety concerns. We discussed navigating ethical concerns and suggest targeted management strategies for clinicians treating pregnant women who choose to use cannabis.


The Lancet ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 398 (10313) ◽  
pp. 1788-1789
Author(s):  
Jacqui Thornton

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document