Can Production and Trafficking of Illicit Drugs be Reduced or Merely Shifted?

Reuter, Peter

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ABUSE;    ADDICTION;    ADVERSE EFFECTS;    AGRICULTURE;    ALCOHOL;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-4564
RP-ID  :  WPS4564

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The production of cocaine and heroin,the two most important drugs economically, has beenconcentrated in a small number of poor nations for 25 years.A slightly larger number of developing nations have beenaffected by large-scale trafficking in these two drugs.This paper reviews what is known about drug control programsand considers non-traditional options.The usual array ofprograms for suppressing drug problems, enforcement,treatment, harm reduction and prevention have been assessedalmost exclusively in wealthy nations.Although treatmenthas been shown to be cost-effective, it is of minimalrelevance for reducing the drug problems of nations such asAfghanistan, Colombia, Mexico or Tajikistan, which areprimarily harmed by production and trafficking rather thanconsumption. Efforts to reduce drug production andtrafficking have not been subject to systematic evaluationbut the best interpretation of the available evidence isthat they have had minimal effect on the quantities producedor trafficked.It is reasonable to conclude thatinternational drug control efforts can do more to affectwhere these drugs are produced rather than the quantity.Ifthat is the case, and given that spreading a specific levelof production or trafficking to more rather than fewernations probably decreases global welfare, it may beappropriate to consider a less aggressive stance to currentproducers and to make strategic decisions about the locationof an industry producing a global bad.