Tom Crouch In my final year as an undergraduate at Swansea University (I graduated in July this year), I chose to write my dissertation on the relationship between the US and the Soviet Union at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) between the years 1945 and 1962. In so doing, and by utilising…Continue Reading Harry and the Reds: A Revisionist Examination of Washington’s Cooperation with Moscow on International Drug Control Policy, (1945 – 1962).
Notes on Criminal Economics
Ross Eventon* In a recent report for GDPO, I discussed the links between national economic models and illicit cultivation, and the way this important context has been largely ignored by the drug policy community; localised projects – amounting to rural development aid – have instead been the focus of attention. In this blog I would…Continue Reading Notes on Criminal Economics
Trump v Biden. Their stances on Drug Policy: ‘How it started. How it’s going.’
Branwen Lloyd* The 2020 United States presidential election—with early voting underway and Election Day on November 3—is already like no other in history. In a pivotal year the presidential campaign has been repeatedly shaken by seismic events: a devastating pandemic, George Floyd’s killing by police officers, and subsequent protests, President Donald Trump contracting COVID-19, and…Continue Reading Trump v Biden. Their stances on Drug Policy: ‘How it started. How it’s going.’
Yes, legalizing marijuana breaks treaties. We can deal with that.
By John Walsh, Tom Blickman, Martin Jelsma and Dave Bewley-Taylor This Op-Ed was originally published in iPolitics on December 11th, 2017 Buzzing in the background of Canada’s debate on cannabis legalization is the issue of the three UN drug control treaties, and what to do with them. The issue arose during the House of Commons’…Continue Reading Yes, legalizing marijuana breaks treaties. We can deal with that.
British System, American Century: A short case study
British System, American Century: A short case study Chris Hallam This blog shows the intimate ties between the international and domestic domains of drug control. This is a well-known phenomenon; however, it involves considerable complexity. The lengths to which governments will go to reduce potential tension at the international level are apparent. This is especially…Continue Reading British System, American Century: A short case study
Why is coca production on the rise in Colombia?
After countless reforms and billions of investment eradicating coca cultivation is still a great challenge for Colombia. Ross Eventon, GDPO Early March, 2017: The United States government and the United Nations announce large increases in the amount of coca being cultivated in Colombia. The head of the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement…Continue Reading Why is coca production on the rise in Colombia?
View from the Ground – Harm reduction, drug policy and the law in the Maghreb: focus on Morocco and Algeria
View from the Ground – Harm reduction, drug policy and the law in the Maghreb: focus on Morocco and Algeria Khalid Tinasti, Geneva Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University October 2016 As WordPress doesn’t allow referencing, full PDF with references available here: khalid_blog-maghreb-drug-policy_final Introduction: The Maghreb countries, part of the Arab Maghreb Union, are Algeria, Libya,…Continue Reading View from the Ground – Harm reduction, drug policy and the law in the Maghreb: focus on Morocco and Algeria
View From the Ground: Bocas del Toro; Drugs in Paradise
By Alastair Smith, Panama Following exploratory fieldwork in the rural coca growing fields of Colombia, GDPO followed the cocaine supply chain to Panama. Most recently, time spent on the Northern Caribbean coast soon revealed the permeation of drug trafficking into the already complex socioeconomic context that many perceive as paradise. First impressions of Bocas del…Continue Reading View From the Ground: Bocas del Toro; Drugs in Paradise
Ketamine under international law
This blog was originally posted here Psychoactive substances or ‘drugs’, often associated with recreational use, are in fact commonly used for a variety of medicinal purposes. It is even less understood that the supply of more than 100 of these drugs is regulated by a complex system of international drug control underpinned by three United…Continue Reading Ketamine under international law
The ketamine controversy, continued
This blog was originally posted here UN legal opinion adds confusion while China changes its scheduling proposal Martin Jelsma Friday, March 6, 2015 The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna will decide next week between two opposite proposals by China and the WHO about international control ofketamine, an essential anaesthetic in human and veterinary…Continue Reading The ketamine controversy, continued