New evidence on the tenuous state of evidence-based drug policy

摘要

As Stevens & Measham [1] note, my 'ninth implicit rule of evidence-based drug policy' asserted that '[scientific research on drugs cannot motivate a change from tough law to lenient law, but it can motivate a change in the opposite direction' [2]. As with the first eight such 'rules' [3], this was offered in a tongue-in-cheek rhetorical style that allowed me to shirk from the hard work of actually providing supporting evidence. We should all be grateful that Stevens & Measham took their task more seriously, assembling relevant UK evidence in support of. their thesis that there is a 'drug policy ratchet', such that 'substances labelled as drugs are likely to face tighter rather than looser control'.