January 2012
Axel Klein
Khat has been consumed for thousands of years in the highlands of Eastern Africa and Southern Arabia.Strict bans on khat introduced in Europe ostensibly for the protection of immigrant communities have had severe unintended negative consequences.
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies
October 2011
Martin Barriuso Alonso (FAC)
Les Clubs Sociaux du Cannabis (CSC) sont des associations d’usagers qui s’organisent pour s’auto-approvisionner sans avoir recours au marché noir. Profitant de une zone grise juridique, il existe depuis plusieurs années, des clubs privés qui produisent du cannabis pour le distribuer, sans but...
Série sur la Réforme Législative des Politiques des Drogues, Numéro 9
September 2011
Grazia Zuffa
Distinguishing between drug possession for personal use and supply and trafficking is widely acknowledged as one of the most difficult and controversial issues facing drug legislators and policy makers.
Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr 15
September 2011
Genevieve Harris
The use of "threshold quantities" for determining charges for drugs offences has become a popular quick-fix by policy makers keen to save time and money, but they should be used with caution as they also carry the risk of wrongful conviction and disproportionate responses.
Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 14
May 2011
Pascal Tanguay
Kratom is an integral part of Thai culture and has neglible harmful effects. Community level control and education are recommended for the best path to harm reduction.
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 13
August 2010
Sanji Gunasekara
In 2007, the Government of New Zealand entrusted an independent agency, the National Law Commission, to review the country’s drug law. New Zealand’s approach to drug law reform may provide lessons for other countries.
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 8
July 2010
This paper discusses the “substance-oriented approach” Dutch authorities implemented to to scare off potential small-scale cocaine smugglers. The focus was on the drugs, rather than the couriers, and on incapacitating the smuggling route, rather than deterrence by incarceration.
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 7
July 2010
Graciela Touzé
In August 2009, the Argentina Supreme Court declared legislation criminalizing drug possession for personal consumption as unconstitutional. This briefing discusses the background of that decision, the small steps taken since, but argues that there is still much to do before a genuine reform...
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 6
June 2010
Genevieve Harris
Sentencing for drug offences in England and Wales has recently undergone a wide-sweeping review and public consultation. The purpose of this report is to examine and evaluate this mechanism for law reform, without the need for legislative reform, and to consider the specific discussion around...
Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 5
January 2010
Diana Esther Guzmán, Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes
In December 2009, the Congress in Colombia passed a reform to the 1991 Constitution, which considered the possession and consumption of certain quantities of drugs for personal use legal, to enact constitutional prohibition. This briefing shows the changes that this constitutional amendment...
Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 4
