Tuesday 27 September 2011

Paths | Thinking Drugs

Paths

There are four issues you can explore, to get your results you need to do all four. You cannot go backwards, to begin again you need to complete the survey.

This section is about what the policy towards illegal drugs should be. The arguments cover different aspects of this question, taking the example of the UK. How should policy strike a balance between using the criminal justice system and concentrating on public health? What would be the effect of legalising drugs? Does drug use cause deprivation, or is it merely a symptom?

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Russia provides a dramatic setting for looking at public health policy in relation to drugs, because it takes such a firm and distinctive stance. The two stories illustrate this policy from the point of view of both user and policymaker. The arguments in this section examine the rights or wrongs – depending on your point of view - of different aspects of the Russian policy.

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For Mexico the sheer level of crime associated with drugs, including much killing, makes getting drug policy right absolutely vital. The arguments in this section look at how we should deal with both the causes and the results of that crime.

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The Netherlands unusually tolerates the sale of cannabis in coffee shops. Does this policy work, or not? Whether it works or not, are there lessons for the rest of the world, or is the Netherlands such an unusual place that no such lessons can be drawn? The stories, facts and arguments in this section may help you to decide your own answer to all these questions.

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