Illicit Drug Market and Possible Regulation
This research/advocacy project stems from the need to evaluate the "demand side" in reducing the harm caused by ill-informed and poorly targeted policies. Its ultimate goal is to create a new policy in order to control the drug market and its consequences, thereby reducing the size of the illegal market and its profitability.
To achieve these purposes, a team of leading academics based in Italy intend to perform a study on the relationship between the economy and the drug industry. The project aims first to establish the most effective regulatory body in tackling the illegal economy, i.e. one which reduces drug consumption via means other than increasing law enforcement expenditure. Second, it hopes to obtain reliable, comparative data concerning the drug economy on which future policies can be based.
The results will be used to inform high-level political debate. Working papers and a white book will be presented, circulated and discussed at international meetings and will be placed on the project's website. At least two workshops in cooperation with the European Parliament, Italian Council for Social Sciences and the Centre of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, University of Rome, will be set up to discuss results. Evidence obtained from research will subsequently be used as advocacy material to inform debate in the Italian and European parliaments.