Historique
Rapport
A comparison of the cost-effectiveness of the prohibition and regulation of drugs
Auteur(s) :
Transform Drug Policy Foundation
Année
2009
Page(s) :
53 p.
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Éditeur(s) :
Bristol : Transform Drug Policy Foundation
Refs biblio. :
84
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
LOI (Loi et son application / Law enforcement)
Thésaurus mots-clés
COUT
;
REGULATION
;
EFFICACITE
;
COMPARAISON
;
REGLEMENTATION
;
PROHIBITION
;
MARCHE DE LA DROGUE
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
;
POLITIQUE
Thésaurus géographique
ROYAUME-UNI
Résumé :
FRANÇAIS :
Il s'agit de la première étude comparative des coûts respectifs de la prohibition et de la légalisation. Selon les auteurs, « Le gouvernement affirme que toute avancée du système de prohibition vers la régulation entrainerait des coûts supérieurs aux bénéfices. Mais aucune analyse comparative coûts/bénéfices ni aucune étude d'impact des politiques actuelles n'a jamais été menée en Grande-Bretagne ni d'ailleurs à l'étranger. »
ENGLISH :
Despite the billions spent each year on proactive and reactive drug law enforcement, the punitive prohibitionist approach has consistently delivered the opposite of its stated goals. The Governments own data clearly demonstrates drug supply and availability increasing; use of drugs that cause the most harm increasing; health harms increasing; massive levels of crime created at all scales leading to a crisis in the criminal justice system; and illicit drug profits enriching criminals, fuelling conflict and destabilising producer and transit countries from Mexico to Afghanistan. This is an expensive policy that, in the words of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, has also created a raft of negative unintended consequences. Alternative approaches - involving established regulatory models of controlling drug production, supply and use - have not been considered or costed. The limited cost effectiveness analysis of current policy that has been undertaken has frequently been suppressed. In terms of scrutinizing major public policy and spending initiatives, current drug policy is unique in this regard. This paper is an attempt to begin to redress these failings by comparing the costs and benefits of the current policy of drug prohibition, with those of a proposed model for the legal regulation of drugs in the UK. We also identify areas of further research, and steps to ensure future drugs policy is genuinely based on evidence of what works. This initial analysis demonstrates that a move to legally regulated drug supply would deliver substantial benefits to the Treasury and wider community, even in the highly unlikely event of a substantial increase in use. (From the editor' s abstract)
Il s'agit de la première étude comparative des coûts respectifs de la prohibition et de la légalisation. Selon les auteurs, « Le gouvernement affirme que toute avancée du système de prohibition vers la régulation entrainerait des coûts supérieurs aux bénéfices. Mais aucune analyse comparative coûts/bénéfices ni aucune étude d'impact des politiques actuelles n'a jamais été menée en Grande-Bretagne ni d'ailleurs à l'étranger. »
ENGLISH :
Despite the billions spent each year on proactive and reactive drug law enforcement, the punitive prohibitionist approach has consistently delivered the opposite of its stated goals. The Governments own data clearly demonstrates drug supply and availability increasing; use of drugs that cause the most harm increasing; health harms increasing; massive levels of crime created at all scales leading to a crisis in the criminal justice system; and illicit drug profits enriching criminals, fuelling conflict and destabilising producer and transit countries from Mexico to Afghanistan. This is an expensive policy that, in the words of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, has also created a raft of negative unintended consequences. Alternative approaches - involving established regulatory models of controlling drug production, supply and use - have not been considered or costed. The limited cost effectiveness analysis of current policy that has been undertaken has frequently been suppressed. In terms of scrutinizing major public policy and spending initiatives, current drug policy is unique in this regard. This paper is an attempt to begin to redress these failings by comparing the costs and benefits of the current policy of drug prohibition, with those of a proposed model for the legal regulation of drugs in the UK. We also identify areas of further research, and steps to ensure future drugs policy is genuinely based on evidence of what works. This initial analysis demonstrates that a move to legally regulated drug supply would deliver substantial benefits to the Treasury and wider community, even in the highly unlikely event of a substantial increase in use. (From the editor' s abstract)
Affiliation :
UK