Illicit Drug markets

Silk Road: eBay for Drugs

by Monica Barratt

Letter to the editor, published in Addiction

Art-Intelligence Programs: The Relevance of the Clandestine Art World to Foreign Intelligence

by Erik Nemeth

View abstract at: View abstract at: http://culturalsecurity.net/cs/research.htm#artintel

“War on Drugs and War on Terror: Case of Afghanistan”, The Peace and Conflict Review (UPeace), vol. 3, issue 2, Spring 2009, pp. 41-53, with Daniela Corti.

by Ashok Swain

Las políticas de seguridad pública en América Latina: policía, violencia y narcotráfico en México

by Jose Carlos G. Aguiar

La violencia y la inseguridad en América Latina a partir de la década de 1980 dan cuenta de un fenómeno distinto. La... more La violencia y la inseguridad en América Latina a partir de la década de 1980 dan cuenta de un fenómeno distinto. La ciudadanía tiene miedo del crimen organizado y no de gobiernos dictatoriales. No es una violencia de Estado contra la ciu- dadanía. Es una violencia con actores, objetos y escenarios distintos. Se trata de una violencia relacionada al tráfico de mercancías y sustancias ilegales, pero vinculada también con la descomposición del tejido social, aparato gubernamental y espacio público. En términos generales, hay evidencia de una industrialización del crimen, donde los estados son periféricos o cómplices del crimen organizado. Este fenómeno tiene una doble víctima: los agentes involucrados en delitos (violencia entre grupos antagonistas), y la sociedad civil en su conjunto, que cede sus libertades y derechos más elementales, como al bienestar, libre tránsito y propiedad privada. El escenario descrito plantea una serie de cuestionamientos. ¿Es la inseguri- dad e industrialización del crimen una consecuencia de la aplicación de políticas neoliberales? ¿Cómo han respondido los regímenes democráticos a esta problemática?

Drug and alcohol policy under New Labour: Pandering to populism?

by Julian Buchanan

New Labour achieved a landslide victory on a 'promise of change', but their drug law and policies offered little... more New Labour achieved a landslide victory on a 'promise of change', but their drug law and policies offered little change. Instead, they continued the failed 'war on drugs' adopted by the previous Conservative government by further enmeshing treatment within the criminal justice system and attacking civil liberties under the Drugs Act 2005. Not surprisingly this has resulted in a significant increase in the prison population.

Buchanan, J. (2011) Drug and alcohol policy under New Labour: Pandering to populism? in Arianna Silvestri (editor) Lessons for the Coalition? New Labour and criminal justice: an end of term report, Hadley Trust, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, London

download: www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1830/end_of_term_report.pdf

Title The War on Drugs – A War on Drug Users

by Julian Buchanan

This article was ground breaking at the time in terms of linking problematic drug use to social exclusion and stigma, as well as highlighting how the War on drugs serves only to exacerbate the plight of drug users.

The article was later published:
Buchanan, J. & Young, L. (2000) ‘The War on Drugs – A War on Drug Users’. Drugs: Education, Prevention Policy, 7(4), 409-422

The authors argue that since the 1980s UK drug policy has largely been ill considered, reactive and counter-... more The authors argue that since the 1980s UK drug policy has largely been ill considered, reactive and counter- productive. Rather than reducing drug taking and drug related crime, such policies have exacerbated the problem and contributed towards an environment in which drug use and illegal drug activities are likely to flourish. One of the consequences of this 'war on drugs' is that it manifests itself as a 'war on drug users' with an emphasis not upon the development of appropriate rehabilitative models, but upon prevention, prohibition and punishment. Drawing on the authors' qualitative research on Merseyside, England involving 200 problem drug users, it will be argued that the war on drug users has subjected these people to a process of stigmatization, marginalization and social exclusion, and prevented many of them from recovery by hindering their re-integation into the wider social and economic community. Instead, growing numbers of problematic drug users remain locked into a cycle of chronic drug relapse.

Drug policy under New Labour 1997-2010: Prolonging the war on drugs

by Julian Buchanan

email me julianbuchanan@gmail.com if you'd like a free copy of this article

In 1997 New Labour came to power with a landslide victory. This period also marked a watershed for illicit drug use... more In 1997 New Labour came to power with a landslide victory. This period also marked a watershed for illicit drug use which had become so widespread across the UK that it was regarded as a mainstream adolescent experience. However, broadly speaking there were two groups of drug users: one group of young people who selectively used drugs on a recreational and largely non-problematic basis; while another group (usually unemployed and socially excluded), who used whatever drugs they could find in a chaotic and problematic manner. Drug taking had become a normalized activity and criminalization of these drugs seemed unenforceable, out of touch and inappropriate. Inheriting an unworkable 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act 1997 seemed an opportune time for the New Labour government to deliver on its ‘promise of change’ and introduce drug legislation fit for the new millennium. This article reflects upon some of the key policy and legal changes introduced by the New Labour government (1997—2010) to manage drug use and misuse.

Perioperative implications of buprenorphine maintenance treatment for addiction

by Ethan Bryson

Gevirtz C, Frost EAM, Bryson EO.
International Anesthesiology Clinics, Winter 2011

The anesthetic implications of illicit opioid abuse

by Ethan Bryson

Bryson EO.
International Anesthesiology Clinics, Winter 2011

The perioperative implications of tobacco, marijuana, and other inhaled toxins

by Ethan Bryson

Bryson EO, Frost EAM.
International Anesthesiology Clinics Winter 2011

Prescription Drug Misuse: Is Technology Friend or Foe?

by Monica Barratt

Victorian Trends In Ecstasy and Related Drug Markets 2004: Findings From the Party Drugs Initiative (PDI)

by Monica Barratt

Cannabis Law Reform In Western Australia: An Opportunity to Test Theories of Marginal Deterrence and Legitimacy*

by Monica Barratt

Expected Impacts of the Cannabis Infringement Notice Scheme In Western Australia on Regular Users and Their Involvement In the Cannabis Market

by Monica Barratt

A Survey of Regular Ecstasy Users' Knowledge and Practices Around Determining Pill Content and Purity: Implications for Policy and Practice

by Monica Barratt