This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Boland, P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

British drugs policy: Problematizing the distinction between legal and illegal drugs and the definition of the `drugs problem'

Cardiff University,boland{at}cardiff.ac.uk

This article draws upon an extensive literature review of the social and medical sciences, official documents and various websites to critically re-evaluate the basis of British drugs policy. The article problematizes the rationale for criminalizing certain substances and questions the distinctions created between legal and illegal drugs; in so doing, the article argues that the definition of the `drugs problem' is the real problem. It shows that the debate on illegal drugs is filled less with factual truths and more with misinformation which creates public fear and provides a questionable basis for public policy. The article questions current thinking regarding the drugs/crime relationship and concludes by exploring some implications for policy and practice.

Key Words: addiction • decriminalization • drug policy • drugs • substance misuse

Probation Journal, Vol. 55, No. 2, 171-187 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0264550508089120


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Taylor Outside the outsiders: Media representations of drug use Probation Journal, December 1, 2008; 55(4): 369 - 387. [Abstract] [PDF]