NCJ Number
207403
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 34 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 2004 Pages: 533-550
Date Published
2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper analyzes drug control policies in the United Kingdom and their implementation by law enforcement agencies.
Abstract
Current drug control policies in the United Kingdom favor a harm minimization approach which directs law enforcement to target the trafficking of drugs that “do the most harm.” These policies also deemphasize law enforcement action against drug users who consume cannabis or other drugs without public disruption. The ways in which this program of harm minimization fits within the international drug agenda are examined, especially within the context of international security concerns following the terrorist attacks in September 2001. The evolution of drug control policy in the United Kingdom is examined, followed by a discussion of the general trends in drug control policy among European countries. Issues involving the way in which drug trafficking, possession and use, cultivation, and importation are handled within the United Kingdom and among European countries are analyzed. International drug conventions are reviewed as the author explores the relationship between international drug policies and concerns about transnational organized crime and other security issues. While there is no outright mismatch between United Kingdom harm minimization policies and international drug conventions, it seems that United Kingdom drug policy skirts the margins of international acceptability. Given the increasing international security concerns, it will be instructive to follow the ways in which United Kingdom and other European drug policies evolve in the coming years. References, notes