Policy Programme

Reacting to concerns that international drug policy debates are insufficiently informed by the growing evidence base, the Beckley Foundation has initiated a programme of research and policy analysis that will produce regular reports over the next 3 years. This material aims to address the current dilemmas in drug policy that result from the continued growth of the global market for illicit drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and cannabis.

The Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme (BFDPP) is a new project dedicated to providing a rigorous, independent review of global drug policy. In 2004, the Beckley Foundation formed a partnership with DrugScope, the UK's leading independent centre of expertise on drugs, to produce the first three sets of Beckley Foundation reports and briefing papers. Future collaborations are being planned in order to assemble and disseminate information and analyses to support the rational consideration of these sensitive policy issues at international level, and inform the more effective management of the widespread use of psychoactive substances.

The initiative consists of a number of interlinked components:

• The commissioning, publication and distribution of Beckley Foundation reports and briefing papers on international drug policy issues.
• The hosting of policy-focused seminars that bring together policymakers, academics and practitioners to discuss international drug policy issues.
• The establishment of an International Drug Policy Consortium, consisting of a network of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and proffessional networks from around the world.
• The establishment of an International Network for Drug Policy Analysis, a group of academic experts from around the world who have produced notable work on the subject of drug policy evaluation and other relevant issues.

The BFDPP is directed by Amanda Neidpath, director of the Beckley Foundation, and Mike Trace, an independent consultant, who has previously worked as an advisor on the misuse of drugs to the British government, European Union and United Nations.

We are living in a time when large proportions of the population use controlled substances. Forty years of prohibition, costing hundreds of billions, has done nothing to truncate the use of drugs. Indeed they are purer, cheaper and more readily available than ever before. Maybe society should face the apparent fact that many of its members wish to manipulate their consciousness, either by using legal substances such as alcohol, caffeine or tobacco, or by illegal means. The question facing governments globally should maybe change from how to eliminate drug use to how to minimise the damage done by it to the individual or society at large.