1 Introduction

Drugs and drug use are seen as major problems for society. They are perceived as a serious health threat to the individual user and as disruptive to society. The drugs problem and the ways to tackle it have become, in the last two to three decades, major issues in political and public debate, on a national level as well as in international fora. In the EU and UN special institutions and mechanisms have been created to work on solutions to this problem. Drug problems and drug policy vary substantially from country to country, and over different periods of time. In some countries, for instance, the level of use of a certain drug is reasonably stable, whilst in others it is rising. The aims of policy responses cover a broad spectrum. The existing literature suggests that some nations put the emphasis on the reduction or elimination of drug use as the principal, if not sole, goal of policy. The focus is on creating a “drug-free” society (MacCoun and Reuter, 2001; Hall and Pacula 2003). Other countries focus on the reduction of the adverse consequences of drug use as the principal goal. This is referred to as “harm reduction”, the aim of which is to make the drug problem ‘manageable’. The programmes and interventions actually implemented by individual countries, and over differing time periods, also vary substantially.

In this report we will focus on describing and analysing the main drug policy models that have been implemented in various countries throughout the world to tackle the drugs phenomenon over the past decade, as well as on the dynamics of policy and impact on the global illicit drugs trade. We will conduct a comparative analysis of the character of drug problems and drug policies, covering drug supply reduction policies (i.e., measures against production, trafficking and retail), drug demand reduction (i.e., drug prevention/education and drug treatment) and reduction of drug-related harm (i.e., health measures targeting drug users and reducing harm to society).