Pub Date : 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105053
Candan Turkkan
A central tenet of the drug control literature is that the prohibition of drug crops (opium poppy, coca, cannabis) generates a “prohibition premium” that strengthens illicit supply chains and provides a lucrative alternative to legal agriculture. This paper complicates this view by examining a puzzling counter-case: Turkey’s transition to a fully licit opiates fully licit supply chain. Analyzing the post-1974 control regime, I argue that two interventions were critical: the switch to poppy straw process, and the Grain Board’s (TMO) price stabilization policies. While the former removed opium from the supply chain and thus minimized opportunities for diversion at the farm level, latter provided stability for smallholders amidst the fluctuations generated by liberalization of the economy. The case thus demonstrates that states can successfully manage a licit opiate supply chain with minimal diversions and illicit cultivation by removing opportunities and stabilizing agrarian livelihoods through public interventions.
{"title":"Beyond the ban: Explaining how Turkey reduced diversion and illicit poppy cultivation after 1974","authors":"Candan Turkkan","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A central tenet of the drug control literature is that the prohibition of drug crops (opium poppy, coca, cannabis) generates a “prohibition premium” that strengthens illicit supply chains and provides a lucrative alternative to legal agriculture. This paper complicates this view by examining a puzzling counter-case: Turkey’s transition to a fully licit opiates fully licit supply chain. Analyzing the post-1974 control regime, I argue that two interventions were critical: the switch to poppy straw process, and the Grain Board’s (TMO) price stabilization policies. While the former removed opium from the supply chain and thus minimized opportunities for diversion at the farm level, latter provided stability for smallholders amidst the fluctuations generated by liberalization of the economy. The case thus demonstrates that states can successfully manage a licit opiate supply chain with minimal diversions and illicit cultivation by removing opportunities and stabilizing agrarian livelihoods through public interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105053"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145475368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105061
Manuel Cano , Charles Katz , Jordan Batchelor , Martín F. Celaya , Raminta Daniulaityte
Aims
Extreme heat has been rising in cities worldwide, but relatively little is known about heat-related drug overdose deaths in the era of fentanyl and stimulants. Therefore, we examined overdose deaths with heat involvement recorded in one of the hottest US states—Arizona.
Method
We analyzed data from the Arizona State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System for all 12,384 Arizona unintentional/undetermined intent overdose deaths recorded in ages 15+, 2019–2023. The primary outcome was whether heat involvement was recorded as a cause of death. We examined monthly and yearly numbers of overdose deaths with heat involvement recorded and used logistic regression to test sociodemographic and toxicology correlates of heat involvement in overdose deaths.
Results
Heat involvement was recorded in 7 % of Arizona overdose deaths (unintentional/undetermined intent, ages 15+) from 2019–2023 and 33 % of overdose deaths that occurred during July. Heat involvement was recorded in 3 % of overdose deaths in 2019 and 15 % of overdose deaths in 2023. Approximately 60 % of those who died of overdoses with heat involvement recorded were identified as experiencing homelessness. Among overdose deaths, adjusted odds of recorded heat involvement were higher in decedents with methamphetamine-positive toxicology (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 3.58, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] 2.61–4.92) and those experiencing homelessness (aOR 8.34, 95 % CI 6.74–10.32).
Conclusions
Results document rising overdose deaths with heat involvement reported in Arizona, as well as key sociodemographic and drug-related risks overrepresented in these deaths, supporting the need for public health initiatives informed by intersectional risks of heat exposure, homelessness, and methamphetamine use.
{"title":"Characterizing an intersection between heat-related illness and overdose deaths in Arizona: Analysis of data from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, 2019–2023","authors":"Manuel Cano , Charles Katz , Jordan Batchelor , Martín F. Celaya , Raminta Daniulaityte","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aims</h3><div>Extreme heat has been rising in cities worldwide, but relatively little is known about heat-related drug overdose deaths in the era of fentanyl and stimulants. Therefore, we examined overdose deaths with heat involvement recorded in one of the hottest US states—Arizona.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We analyzed data from the Arizona State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System for all 12,384 Arizona unintentional/undetermined intent overdose deaths recorded in ages 15+, 2019–2023. The primary outcome was whether heat involvement was recorded as a cause of death. We examined monthly and yearly numbers of overdose deaths with heat involvement recorded and used logistic regression to test sociodemographic and toxicology correlates of heat involvement in overdose deaths.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Heat involvement was recorded in 7 % of Arizona overdose deaths (unintentional/undetermined intent, ages 15+) from 2019–2023 and 33 % of overdose deaths that occurred during July. Heat involvement was recorded in 3 % of overdose deaths in 2019 and 15 % of overdose deaths in 2023. Approximately 60 % of those who died of overdoses with heat involvement recorded were identified as experiencing homelessness. Among overdose deaths, adjusted odds of recorded heat involvement were higher in decedents with methamphetamine-positive toxicology (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 3.58, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] 2.61–4.92) and those experiencing homelessness (aOR 8.34, 95 % CI 6.74–10.32).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Results document rising overdose deaths with heat involvement reported in Arizona, as well as key sociodemographic and drug-related risks overrepresented in these deaths, supporting the need for public health initiatives informed by intersectional risks of heat exposure, homelessness, and methamphetamine use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145475367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105045
Kenza Afsahi , Khalid Tinasti , Khalid Mouna
In 2021, Morocco legalised the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, with the stated aim of promoting the development of marginalised rural communities in the Rif mountains where illicit production is concentrated. The decision, which was widely hailed, generated a great deal of interest around issues of market access, licensing, and the substitution of illicit crops, yet the environmental dimension of this transition remains largely absent from public debate. This article aims to analyse how Morocco’s cannabis legalisation intersects with environmental sustainability, examining the ecological consequences of both traditional and modern cultivation practices and the regulatory frameworks shaping them. It does so by combining insights from over two decades of fieldwork in the Rif region with policy analysis to compare legal and illicit cultivation systems, assess resource use and biodiversity impacts, and situate Morocco’s cannabis sector within broader national and international environmental commitments. The analysis highlights how regulatory priorities such as standardisation, traceability, and control often overlook environmental concerns, whether in the promotion of beldia (Moroccan traditional cannabis) as an agroecological variety or in the rise of water- and chemical-intensive hybrids and greenhouse farming. These dynamics risk entrenching environmentally damaging practices despite some opportunities that legalisation presents for more sustainable cultivation.
{"title":"Ecological dimensions of cannabis regulation in the Rif, Morocco","authors":"Kenza Afsahi , Khalid Tinasti , Khalid Mouna","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105045","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In 2021, Morocco legalised the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, with the stated aim of promoting the development of marginalised rural communities in the Rif mountains where illicit production is concentrated. The decision, which was widely hailed, generated a great deal of interest around issues of market access, licensing, and the substitution of illicit crops, yet the environmental dimension of this transition remains largely absent from public debate. This article aims to analyse how Morocco’s cannabis legalisation intersects with environmental sustainability, examining the ecological consequences of both traditional and modern cultivation practices and the regulatory frameworks shaping them. It does so by combining insights from over two decades of fieldwork in the Rif region with policy analysis to compare legal and illicit cultivation systems, assess resource use and biodiversity impacts, and situate Morocco’s cannabis sector within broader national and international environmental commitments. The analysis highlights how regulatory priorities such as standardisation, traceability, and control often overlook environmental concerns, whether in the promotion of beldia (Moroccan traditional cannabis) as an agroecological variety or in the rise of water- and chemical-intensive hybrids and greenhouse farming. These dynamics risk entrenching environmentally damaging practices despite some opportunities that legalisation presents for more sustainable cultivation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105045"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145453688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-02DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105054
Raminta Daniulaityte , Kaylin Sweeney , Patricia Timmons , Madeline Hooten , Elisabeth Williams , Danielle Russell , Haley Coles , Matthew Juhascik
Aim
There have been significant increases in availability of fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills mimicking 30 mg oxycodone. The study, conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, integrates qualitative interviews and urine toxicology to characterize the experiences and strategies deployed by people who use drugs to distinguish between counterfeit and authentic pills.
Methods
Between 11/2022–12/2023, the study used targeted (flyers shared by harm reduction organization, craigslist.org ads) and social network-based sampling to recruit 61 individuals who used counterfeit and/or non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids. Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo. Urine samples were analyzed using LC-MS/MS.
Results
The sample included 26 (41.7 %) females, and 34 (57.4 %) non-Hispanic Whites. LC-MS/MS analyses identified fentanyl (86.9 %, n = 53) and 8 additional fentanyl analogs/metabolites, including acetylfentanyl (52.5 %, n = 32), fluorofentanyl (14.8 %, n = 9), carfentanil (1.6 %, n = 1). Two (3.3 %) had urine toxicology screens that tested positive for xylazine. The majority felt confident in their ability to identify fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills from authentic pharmaceuticals. Consistently, 96 % of those who used counterfeit pills tested positive for fentanyl. Building on their awareness of current trends of the fentanyl-saturated drug market, many participants understood that pills obtained from non-medical sources were not likely to be authentic oxycodone. The majority indicated that they learned about the counterfeit nature of pills through their social networks. Some noted they could differentiate them by the smell/taste and by how they made them feel. A quarter recalled early experiences of confusing counterfeit and authentic pills, and these events were more common among those who were less connected to the local networks of information and experience sharing.
Conclusions
The findings emphasize the need for improved monitoring of local unregulated drug markets and design of comprehensive, social network-based interventions for information sharing on emerging shifts in fentanyl trends and associated health risks.
{"title":"“I knew that they weren't real pills from the doctor”: Characterizing consumer knowledge and experiences of identifying counterfeit pain pills in a fentanyl-saturated drug market","authors":"Raminta Daniulaityte , Kaylin Sweeney , Patricia Timmons , Madeline Hooten , Elisabeth Williams , Danielle Russell , Haley Coles , Matthew Juhascik","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105054","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105054","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>There have been significant increases in availability of fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills mimicking 30 mg oxycodone. The study, conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, integrates qualitative interviews and urine toxicology to characterize the experiences and strategies deployed by people who use drugs to distinguish between counterfeit and authentic pills.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Between 11/2022–12/2023, the study used targeted (flyers shared by harm reduction organization, craigslist.org ads) and social network-based sampling to recruit 61 individuals who used counterfeit and/or non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids. Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo. Urine samples were analyzed using LC-MS/MS.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The sample included 26 (41.7 %) females, and 34 (57.4 %) non-Hispanic Whites. LC-MS/MS analyses identified fentanyl (86.9 %, <em>n</em> = 53) and 8 additional fentanyl analogs/metabolites, including acetylfentanyl (52.5 %, <em>n</em> = 32), fluorofentanyl (14.8 %, <em>n</em> = 9), carfentanil (1.6 %, <em>n</em> = 1). Two (3.3 %) had urine toxicology screens that tested positive for xylazine. The majority felt confident in their ability to identify fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills from authentic pharmaceuticals. Consistently, 96 % of those who used counterfeit pills tested positive for fentanyl. Building on their awareness of current trends of the fentanyl-saturated drug market, many participants understood that pills obtained from non-medical sources were not likely to be authentic oxycodone. The majority indicated that they learned about the counterfeit nature of pills through their social networks. Some noted they could differentiate them by the smell/taste and by how they made them feel. A quarter recalled early experiences of confusing counterfeit and authentic pills, and these events were more common among those who were less connected to the local networks of information and experience sharing.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The findings emphasize the need for improved monitoring of local unregulated drug markets and design of comprehensive, social network-based interventions for information sharing on emerging shifts in fentanyl trends and associated health risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105054"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145439671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-09DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104948
Ranjani K Paradise, Simeon D Kimmel, Alykhan Nurani, Jeff Desmarais, Shannon O'Malley, Alexander Y Walley, Andres Hoyos-Cespedes, Jaylen Clarke, Sunday Taylor, Daniel Dooley, Angela R Bazzi
Background: Nonfatal overdose is a risk factor for future fatal overdose and represents a critical touchpoint for engaging survivors and making connections to treatment and harm reduction resources. The aim of this study was to understand survivors' experiences and preferences in the immediate post-overdose period, and to elucidate survivors' and professionals' perspectives on improving care provision at this interaction point.
Methods: In 2020-2021, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with opioid overdose survivors (n = 59) and professionals (n = 28) who respond to overdoses or interact with survivors in Boston, MA. When reviewing coded data early in the analytical process, we identified a strong emphasis on the importance of immediate post-overdose experiences in influencing engagement in care. Subsequent in-depth analysis then identified common experiences and factors related to service engagement in this acute time period.
Results: Among 59 overdose survivors, most identified as Black or Latinx (70 %) due to purposive sampling. Most were also unhoused (75 %) and reported at least three past-year overdoses (69 %). Many participants described intense physical pain and/or emotional distress immediately following overdose reversal, which reduced their desire and ability to engage with service providers. Several experienced disrespect and stigma from overdose responders, which negatively impacted their experience. However, some participants expressed wanting to be offered services immediately post-overdose, stating that providers should always "extend the branch". Professionals reinforced survivors' perspectives, explaining how trauma and stigma reduce survivors' willingness to accept service information and referrals; they also highlighted systemic challenges in standard overdose response processes that impede effective engagement.
Conclusion: To better engage survivors, overdose response processes should prioritize survivors' physical and emotional comfort and seek to build trust by utilizing person-centered, trauma-informed, and non-stigmatizing approaches.
{"title":"Building connection: overdose survivors' and professional service providers' perspectives on immediate post-overdose care.","authors":"Ranjani K Paradise, Simeon D Kimmel, Alykhan Nurani, Jeff Desmarais, Shannon O'Malley, Alexander Y Walley, Andres Hoyos-Cespedes, Jaylen Clarke, Sunday Taylor, Daniel Dooley, Angela R Bazzi","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104948","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104948","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Nonfatal overdose is a risk factor for future fatal overdose and represents a critical touchpoint for engaging survivors and making connections to treatment and harm reduction resources. The aim of this study was to understand survivors' experiences and preferences in the immediate post-overdose period, and to elucidate survivors' and professionals' perspectives on improving care provision at this interaction point.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In 2020-2021, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with opioid overdose survivors (n = 59) and professionals (n = 28) who respond to overdoses or interact with survivors in Boston, MA. When reviewing coded data early in the analytical process, we identified a strong emphasis on the importance of immediate post-overdose experiences in influencing engagement in care. Subsequent in-depth analysis then identified common experiences and factors related to service engagement in this acute time period.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 59 overdose survivors, most identified as Black or Latinx (70 %) due to purposive sampling. Most were also unhoused (75 %) and reported at least three past-year overdoses (69 %). Many participants described intense physical pain and/or emotional distress immediately following overdose reversal, which reduced their desire and ability to engage with service providers. Several experienced disrespect and stigma from overdose responders, which negatively impacted their experience. However, some participants expressed wanting to be offered services immediately post-overdose, stating that providers should always \"extend the branch\". Professionals reinforced survivors' perspectives, explaining how trauma and stigma reduce survivors' willingness to accept service information and referrals; they also highlighted systemic challenges in standard overdose response processes that impede effective engagement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>To better engage survivors, overdose response processes should prioritize survivors' physical and emotional comfort and seek to build trust by utilizing person-centered, trauma-informed, and non-stigmatizing approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"145 ","pages":"104948"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144817970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-09DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104945
Mark C Navin, Lauren R Fink, Travis N Rieder
The United States is in its third decade of a drug overdose crisis. An important tool for responding to this crisis is the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone. However, with hyper-potent opioids like fentanyl present in the drug supply, some have argued for alternative overdose reversal agents such as nalmefene, which has higher opioid receptor affinity and a longer half-life. This reasoning moves too quickly. There is little evidence that adopting nalmefene for community-based overdose response will provide overall benefit, and there are good reasons to expect that it will cause substantial harm. Nalmefene appears to promise a "magic bullet" solution to a complicated and terrible problem, but sustainable overdose prevention requires comprehensive improvements to public health infrastructure. The overdose crisis requires attention, effort, and funding more than it needs a novel technological or pharmaceutical intervention.
{"title":"Stronger isn't always better: Nalmefene in community overdose response and the false promise of quick-fix public health solutions.","authors":"Mark C Navin, Lauren R Fink, Travis N Rieder","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104945","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The United States is in its third decade of a drug overdose crisis. An important tool for responding to this crisis is the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone. However, with hyper-potent opioids like fentanyl present in the drug supply, some have argued for alternative overdose reversal agents such as nalmefene, which has higher opioid receptor affinity and a longer half-life. This reasoning moves too quickly. There is little evidence that adopting nalmefene for community-based overdose response will provide overall benefit, and there are good reasons to expect that it will cause substantial harm. Nalmefene appears to promise a \"magic bullet\" solution to a complicated and terrible problem, but sustainable overdose prevention requires comprehensive improvements to public health infrastructure. The overdose crisis requires attention, effort, and funding more than it needs a novel technological or pharmaceutical intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"145 ","pages":"104945"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144817971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105040
Gernot Klantschnig , Ediomo-Ubong Nelson , Janet Ogundairo
Background
A growing body of research has focused on the critical analysis of drug policy narratives. Lacking in this literature is research from Africa, especially analysis of narratives around cannabis policy, which is changing across the continent as in the rest of the world. We analysed contrasting accounts of cannabis policy, seeking to highlight the diversity of narratives and the role of hegemonic narratives that reinforce policy stasis through containment of existing alternatives.
Methods
We drew upon qualitative interviews with cannabis market insiders (e.g. farmers, transporters, traders), drug advocacy NGOs and policy officials in South-West and South-South Nigeria, focusing on how these actors constructed cannabis as a policy problem. Analysis was thematic and aimed to identify the core narratives in the data and to explore their meanings and functions in policy debates.
Results
We found contrasting representations of cannabis – e.g. ‘cannabis as dangerous drug’, common in policy officials’ narratives, and ‘cannabis as cash crop’, often found in market insiders’ narratives. The latter actors, driven by the realities of poverty and deprivation, emphasised socioeconomic and medical benefits of cannabis and supported equity-based policy reforms to secure cannabis-based livelihoods. Conversely, the former emphasised the negative social and health consequences of cannabis consumption. Their more hegemonic narratives, reflecting ideological and institutional concerns, accommodated piecemeal policy adjustments based on a framing of ‘global best practices’, thus containing reform impetus and reinforcing resistance to substantive policy change.
Conclusion
The article highlights how hegemonic cannabis policy narratives, especially espoused by policy officials, contribute to maintaining cannabis policy stasis.
{"title":"Drug policy stasis and hegemonic narratives of cannabis in Nigeria","authors":"Gernot Klantschnig , Ediomo-Ubong Nelson , Janet Ogundairo","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>A growing body of research has focused on the critical analysis of drug policy narratives. Lacking in this literature is research from Africa, especially analysis of narratives around cannabis policy, which is changing across the continent as in the rest of the world. We analysed contrasting accounts of cannabis policy, seeking to highlight the diversity of narratives and the role of hegemonic narratives that reinforce policy stasis through containment of existing alternatives.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We drew upon qualitative interviews with cannabis market insiders (e.g. farmers, transporters, traders), drug advocacy NGOs and policy officials in South-West and South-South Nigeria, focusing on how these actors constructed cannabis as a policy problem. Analysis was thematic and aimed to identify the core narratives in the data and to explore their meanings and functions in policy debates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We found contrasting representations of cannabis – e.g. ‘cannabis as dangerous drug’, common in policy officials’ narratives, and ‘cannabis as cash crop’, often found in market insiders’ narratives. The latter actors, driven by the realities of poverty and deprivation, emphasised socioeconomic and medical benefits of cannabis and supported equity-based policy reforms to secure cannabis-based livelihoods. Conversely, the former emphasised the negative social and health consequences of cannabis consumption. Their more hegemonic narratives, reflecting ideological and institutional concerns, accommodated piecemeal policy adjustments based on a framing of ‘global best practices’, thus containing reform impetus and reinforcing resistance to substantive policy change.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The article highlights how hegemonic cannabis policy narratives, especially espoused by policy officials, contribute to maintaining cannabis policy stasis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044
Nicole D. Fitzgerald , Nina Abukahok , Joseph J. Palamar
{"title":"When pink powders shift the drug landscape: tusi (“pink cocaine”) and other colored powders","authors":"Nicole D. Fitzgerald , Nina Abukahok , Joseph J. Palamar","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105044"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145423440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105033
Daniel S. Goldberg, Lina Brou, Sarah Hemeida
Context
Stigma is a fundamental cause of disease that reflects and intensifies health inequalities. Laws are powerful mediators for stigma; to correct them, it is critical to know which laws promote stigma. This paper deploys legal epidemiology methods to map addiction stigma in California law. Robust policy surveillance methods can assist policymakers in identifying stigmatizing laws, providing a path to their remediation.
Methods
The study utilizes a vertical/intrastate legal mapping design to produce a dataset mapping stigma-promoting and stigma-inhibiting laws in California at state, county, and municipal levels. Tracking legal epidemiologic methods, the study moved through five distinct phases to harvest legal data, code it, analyze it, resolve discrepancies, and perfect the legal dataset.
Findings
Every jurisdiction surveyed maintains laws that promote stigma against persons with addiction. The most common categories of such laws include employment-based restrictions and laws that restrict specified social spaces with respect to substance use (i.e., zoning laws, nuisance designations). Many jurisdictions also include legislative findings that promote stigma against persons with addiction.
Conclusions
Because laws are powerful mediators of structural stigma, they present important opportunities for anti-stigma work. Developing methods for mapping stigma-promoting laws is critical to policy surveillance that can serve anti-stigma and equity-advancing practice.
{"title":"Targeting Addiction Structural Stigma Embodied in Law (“TASSEL”): Findings from an intrastate legal mapping study","authors":"Daniel S. Goldberg, Lina Brou, Sarah Hemeida","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Stigma is a fundamental cause of disease that reflects and intensifies health inequalities. Laws are powerful mediators for stigma; to correct them, it is critical to know which laws promote stigma. This paper deploys legal epidemiology methods to map addiction stigma in California law. Robust policy surveillance methods can assist policymakers in identifying stigmatizing laws, providing a path to their remediation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study utilizes a vertical/intrastate legal mapping design to produce a dataset mapping stigma-promoting and stigma-inhibiting laws in California at state, county, and municipal levels. Tracking legal epidemiologic methods, the study moved through five distinct phases to harvest legal data, code it, analyze it, resolve discrepancies, and perfect the legal dataset.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Every jurisdiction surveyed maintains laws that promote stigma against persons with addiction. The most common categories of such laws include employment-based restrictions and laws that restrict specified social spaces with respect to substance use (i.e., zoning laws, nuisance designations). Many jurisdictions also include legislative findings that promote stigma against persons with addiction.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Because laws are powerful mediators of structural stigma, they present important opportunities for anti-stigma work. Developing methods for mapping stigma-promoting laws is critical to policy surveillance that can serve anti-stigma and equity-advancing practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105033"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145410458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-28DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105041
Torra E Spillane , Joanna E Cohen , Tory R. Spindle , Johannes Thrul , Meghan Moran , Hye Myung Lee , Daniel P Giovenco
Background
Federal hemp legalization and expanding state cannabis laws have increased cannabinoid availability across U.S. retailers. Given health risks of tobacco-cannabis co-use, this study documented cannabinoid availability in tobacco retailers across cities with differing cannabis policies New York City and San Francisco (recreational cannabis legal) and Philadelphia (medical only) and analyzed associations with tobacco product offerings.
Methods
A stratified random sample of 20 % of licensed tobacco retailers (n = 1402) was selected from each city. From June to December 2023, trained researchers conducted in-person visits to brick-and-mortar locations to document availability of tobacco and cannabinoid products. Descriptive analyses characterized product availability by store type, and logistic regression examined associations between tobacco product offerings and cannabinoid availability.
Results
THC and CBD were each available in 9.8 % of stores with no significant differences observed across cities. After adjustment, with stores not selling each product as the reference groups, stores selling e-cigarettes had higher odds of selling THC (aOR=3.2, 95 % CI: 1.9–5.6) and CBD (aOR=3.0, 95 % CI: 1.7–5.2). Stores selling cigars also had higher odds of selling THC (aOR=2.6, 95 % CI: 1.5–4.7) and CBD (aOR=1.8, 95 % CI: 1.0–3.2). Conversely, cigarette-selling stores had lower odds of cannabinoid availability (THC: aOR=0.5, 95 % CI: 0.3–0.9; CBD: aOR=0.4, 95 % CI: 0.2–0.9).
Discussion
This study identified a significant presence of cannabinoids in tobacco retailers across three U.S. cities with differing cannabis laws, with higher odds of being sold in stores selling e-cigarettes and cigars. Findings indicate an interconnected retail landscape for tobacco and cannabinoid products, highlighting a need for enhanced regulatory oversight and improved compliance with existing policies.
{"title":"Concurrent availability of cannabinoid and tobacco products in licensed tobacco retailers in three U.S. cities","authors":"Torra E Spillane , Joanna E Cohen , Tory R. Spindle , Johannes Thrul , Meghan Moran , Hye Myung Lee , Daniel P Giovenco","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Federal hemp legalization and expanding state cannabis laws have increased cannabinoid availability across U.S. retailers. Given health risks of tobacco-cannabis co-use, this study documented cannabinoid availability in tobacco retailers across cities with differing cannabis policies New York City and San Francisco (recreational cannabis legal) and Philadelphia (medical only) and analyzed associations with tobacco product offerings.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A stratified random sample of 20 % of licensed tobacco retailers (<em>n</em> = 1402) was selected from each city. From June to December 2023, trained researchers conducted in-person visits to brick-and-mortar locations to document availability of tobacco and cannabinoid products. Descriptive analyses characterized product availability by store type, and logistic regression examined associations between tobacco product offerings and cannabinoid availability.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>THC and CBD were each available in 9.8 % of stores with no significant differences observed across cities. After adjustment, with stores not selling each product as the reference groups, stores selling e-cigarettes had higher odds of selling THC (aOR=3.2, 95 % CI: 1.9–5.6) and CBD (aOR=3.0, 95 % CI: 1.7–5.2). Stores selling cigars also had higher odds of selling THC (aOR=2.6, 95 % CI: 1.5–4.7) and CBD (aOR=1.8, 95 % CI: 1.0–3.2). Conversely, cigarette-selling stores had lower odds of cannabinoid availability (THC: aOR=0.5, 95 % CI: 0.3–0.9; CBD: aOR=0.4, 95 % CI: 0.2–0.9).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>This study identified a significant presence of cannabinoids in tobacco retailers across three U.S. cities with differing cannabis laws, with higher odds of being sold in stores selling e-cigarettes and cigars. Findings indicate an interconnected retail landscape for tobacco and cannabinoid products, highlighting a need for enhanced regulatory oversight and improved compliance with existing policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"146 ","pages":"Article 105041"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145402579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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