The economics of the illicit drug market in the United States have been a source of much speculation and misinformation. A key reason for this lack of knowledge relates to the inherent nature of drug selling. Drug distribution is an illegal business venture, and is therefore cloaked in secrecy in order to protect the participants who are engaged in what is often a dangerous enterprise. Because of the concealed nature of drug markets, few researchers have been able to penetrate their boundaries and gain the trust of participants in order to observe and describe these networks. This briefing paper surveys the relative handful of studies that have been able to evaluate the workings of drug markets.
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Harm Reduction for All
A Lifesaving Loan: A New Investment to Help Curb the U.S. Overdose Crisis
For over a decade, the small Remedy Alliance nonprofit has revolutionized providing lifesaving healthcare for people who use drugs. Our new investment will help the group increase access to the overdose antidote naloxone.
Drug Policy
Three Decades of Drug Policy Reform Work
Over the past 30 years, Open Society has been the largest philanthropic supporter of efforts to reform drug policy and promote harm reduction around the world. This is a timeline of the Foundations’ pathbreaking work.
WAR IS OVER?
How the United States Fueled a Global Drug War, and Why It Must End
As U.S. domestic drug policy reform gains momentum, it is time the United States makes a concerted effort to de-escalate the failed war on drugs elsewhere.