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Publications by Drugs and Democracy

  • USAID's Alternative Development policy in Colombia
    October 2011
    Ricardo Vargas

    Alternative Development as practised by USAID and the Colombia government was always guided more by security rather than development considerations. This report examines the key aspects of USAID's alternative development policy and its implementation in Colombia during the last decade. A critical analysis by Ricardo Vargas.

     

  • Cannabis Social Clubs en Espagne
    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 lucratif et en circuit fermé, à des consommateurs adultes.

  • Amphetamine Type Stimulants and Harm Reduction
    October 2011
    Tom Blickman

    Little is known about the methamphetamine market in the region, but there are strong indications that the situation is deteriorating with substances becoming stronger, methods of use more harmful and the number of users steadily increasing. There is an urgent need for donors and governments to introduce effective harm reduction measures.

  • How to determine personal use in drug legislation
    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.

  • Conviction by Numbers
    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.

  • Alternative Development from the perspective of Colombian farmers
    July 2011
    Susana Ojeda

    There is considerable debate on whether Alternative Development is successful from the point of view of experts and politicians, but what do Colombian farmers targeted by these programmes think and what are the implications for their daily lives?

  • Kratom in Thailand: Decriminalisation and Community Control?
    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.

  • On the Frontline of Northeast India
    March 2011
    Drugs and Democracy

    Conflict and underdevelopment in Northeast India have contributed to drug consumption and production, and are hampering access to treatment, care and support for drug users.

  • Fifty Years of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs: A Reinterpretation
    March 2011
    Martin Jelsma
     David Bewley-Taylor

    Fifty years after its entering into force, it is time for a critical reflection on the validity of the Single Convention today: a reinterpretation of its historical significance and an assessment of its aims, its strengths and its weaknesses.

  • Lifting the ban on coca chewing
    March 2011
    Martin Jelsma

    This briefing paper analyses the reasons behind Bolivia’s proposal to remove from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs the obligation to abolish the practice of coca chewing and the opposing arguments that have been brought forward.