NCJ Number
166024
Date Published
1996
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A simulation game focusing on local government policy toward the sale and use of illicit drugs is described in terms of its nature and content and the results of four games.
Abstract
The game uses three teams, takes place in a seminar setting, takes 3 days to play, and simulates approximately 5 years. A central feature of the game is a computer model that tracks the costs and benefits of drug law enforcement, drug treatment, and drug prevention program; the numbers of heavy and light drug users; and the amount of drugs consumed. The results of the four runs of the game suggest that it is possible to conduct successful seminar games concerning a diffuse and longterm social issue such as local drug policy and that playing the game induces policymakers to consider not only the immediate problems of drug abuse but also the surrounding community context. The game's design rests on the belief that psychological principles useful in the analysis of peace and conflict can usefully be applied to drug policies. The game's results highlight three principles used in conflict resolution: (1) increasing actors' awareness that the context is mixed-motive rather than zero-sum, (2) avoiding the escalatory effects of oversimplified thinking, and (3) making explicit the underlying needs and values of the different actors. Tables, figures, and 27 references (Author abstract modified)