Historique
Article de Périodique
Fifty years of the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: The legislative contexts (2021)
Auteur(s) :
STOTHARD, B.
Année
2021
Page(s) :
298-311
Sous-type de document :
Revue de la littérature / Literature review
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
LOI (Loi et son application / Law enforcement)
Thésaurus géographique
ROYAUME-UNI
Thésaurus mots-clés
LEGISLATION
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
;
HISTOIRE
;
REGULATION
;
DONNEE PROBANTE
;
POLITIQUE
Résumé :
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the history of relevant legislation before and after the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA).
Design/methodology/approach: A chronological narrative of laws and reports with concluding discussion.
Findings: That UK legislators have not made use of the evidence base available to them and have favoured enforcement rather than treatment approaches. That current UK practice has exacerbated not contain the use of and harms caused by illegal drugs.
Research limitations/implications: The paper does not cover all relevant documents, especially those from non-governmental sources.
Practical implications: The practical implications centre on the failure of consecutive governments to reflect on and review the impact of current legislation, especially on people who use drugs.
Social implications: That the situations of people who use drugs are currently ignored by the government and those proven responses which save lives and reduce harm are rejected.
Originality/value: The paper attempts to show the historical contexts of control and dangerousness of which the MDA is one instrument.
Design/methodology/approach: A chronological narrative of laws and reports with concluding discussion.
Findings: That UK legislators have not made use of the evidence base available to them and have favoured enforcement rather than treatment approaches. That current UK practice has exacerbated not contain the use of and harms caused by illegal drugs.
Research limitations/implications: The paper does not cover all relevant documents, especially those from non-governmental sources.
Practical implications: The practical implications centre on the failure of consecutive governments to reflect on and review the impact of current legislation, especially on people who use drugs.
Social implications: That the situations of people who use drugs are currently ignored by the government and those proven responses which save lives and reduce harm are rejected.
Originality/value: The paper attempts to show the historical contexts of control and dangerousness of which the MDA is one instrument.
Affiliation :
Independent Consultant and Writer, London, UK