European Drug Policies

The drug control regime established by the international community has not succeeded in curbing either the demand for, or the offer of, narcotics. But, despite a series of developments in the Americas - including the legalisation of cannabis in Uruguay and in several states in the United States of America - there is still little support in Europe for repealing drug-prohibition laws. Nevertheless, a gradual policy convergence reveals the emergence of a European model favouring public-health strategies over a strictly penal approach to combatting drugs, while growing transnational support for legalisation indicates the persistence of an alternative paradigm for drug policy. This book examines the various influences on drug policies in Europe, as grassroots movements, NGO networks, private foundations and academic research centres increasingly confront the prevailing discourses of drug prohibition. Pursuing an interdisciplinary approach and bringing together legal scholars, social scientists and practitioners, it provides a comprehensive and critical assessment of drug policy reform in Europe.

Renaud Colson is Associate Professor at the Law & Political Science Faculty of the University of Nantes. Henri Bergeron is Research Fellow at the Centre for Sociology of Organisations, Sciences Po, CNRS, scientific coordinator of the Chair in Health Studies, and director of the Health Research Programme at the LIEPP (LABEX), Sciences Po.

Foreword, Ruth Dreifuss European Drug Policies in Context, Henri Bergeron & Renaud Colson I. Regional Dimension of European Drug Policies The Politics of Expertise and EU Drug Policy, Martin Elvins Pathways to Integration of European Drug Policy, Caroline Chatwin The Soft Power of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Henri Bergeron II. Domestic Drug Policies in Europe Belgium Drug Policy, Christine Guilain Danish Drug Policy, Esben Houborg Dutch Drug Policy, Jean-Paul Grund & Joost Breeksema, French Drug Policy, Ivana Obradovic German Drug Policy, Tilmann Holzer Italian Drug Policy, Grazia Zuffa Polish Drug Policy, Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch Portuguese Drug Policy, Caitlin Hughes Spanish Drug Policy, Cristina Diaz Gomez & Martin Gonzales Swedish Drug Policy, Johan Edman Swiss Drug Policy, Frank Zobel United-Kingdom Drug Policy, Susanne MacGregor III. Trends and Prospects in European Drug Policies Changing Paradigms in Drug Policies in EU Member States: From Digression to Convergence, Franz Trautmann The Changing Face of Harm Reduction in Europe, Dagmar Hedrich & Alessandro Pirona Drug Possession Laws in Europe: From Criminal Justice to Public Health, Brendan Hughes Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe: Prospects and Limits, Tom Decorte & Mafalda Pardal