International Journal of Drug Policy最新文献

{"title":"Between decriminalization policy and police practice: Implementation of warnings for marginalized people dependent on drugs in Denmark","authors":"Esben Houborg,&nbsp;Julie Elisabeth Brummer,&nbsp;Tobias Kammersgaard,&nbsp;Michael Mulbjerg Pedersen","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study investigated the implementation of Denmark's partial decriminalization of possession of illicit drugs for personal use with its criteria of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals dependent on drugs other than cannabis. The focus was on assessing trends in the frequency and proportion of cases settled with warnings as an alternative to criminal sanctions before and after legislative changes in 2004.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We graphed the frequency and proportion of warning decisions issued over time (2003–2020) for drug possession among cases classified as eligible or ineligible, with eligibility defined as the offender being both socioeconomically disadvantaged and dependent on drugs other than cannabis. Mixed effects logistic regression was used to examine the interaction between eligibility status and date of offense on the odds of receiving a warning instead of a fine and to examine additional offender- and case-related factors associated with receiving a warning among eligible cases after the 2004 legislative changes. Changepoint time series analyses were also carried out to identify important changes in sentencing trends over time. Data sources included the National Police of Denmark's case management system and national health, crime, population, and labor registers.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The findings indicated that the proportion of eligible cases receiving warnings remained low throughout the study period, with fewer than 16 % of eligible cases settled with a warning, rather than a fine, in any given year. Interaction analysis showed that the policy resulted in relatively more lenient decisions for eligible cases compared with ineligible cases, although the overall use of warnings declined. Additionally, both offender-related factors (e.g., sex) and case-related factors (e.g., police district, type of drug) were associated with the odds of receiving a warning among eligible cases.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study highlights persistent challenges in implementing the decriminalization policy, indicating the need for legislative clarity, consistent enforcement practices, and targeted education for law enforcement. Future research should monitor the impact of recent legislative amendments and explore strategies to address systemic barriers in drug policy reform.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105122"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145834978","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}

{"title":"Public attitudes and lifetime home cannabis cultivation – a survey after legalization in Germany","authors":"Mira Lehberger,&nbsp;Anne-Katrin Kleih,&nbsp;Kai Sparke","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105121","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In 2024, Germany became the most populous European country to legalize home cannabis cultivation. This study provides the first empirical evidence on both public support for and engagement in home cultivation in this new regulatory context. Using survey data from a representative online-panel (<em>n</em> = 1500), we conducted hierarchical regression analyses to examine the factors associated with attitudinal outcomes (support for legalization) and behavioral outcomes (self-reported cultivation in the past or present). Results show that sociodemographic associations with support and cultivation are largely explained by cannabis experience. Among these factors, age and consumption emerged as the most consistent correlates across models. Expectations regarding the consequences of legalization were strongly associated with support but showed little relation to actual cultivation behavior. People who have cultivated expressed substantially higher support and more favorable expectations than those who have not, although participants overall tended to evaluate legalization positively. The only consistently negative expectation shared across groups was that legalization may increase cannabis use in society. Overall, support for legalization appears to be influenced by a broad set of expectations about societal consequences, whereas cultivation behavior is more closely tied to individual experience and personal motivations. While the study is situated in the German context, its insights are relevant beyond national borders: as the largest EU member state to legalize home cultivation, Germany’s experience may provide valuable lessons for other jurisdictions considering similar reforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105121"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145828905","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}

{"title":"The health effects of vaping and e-cigarettes: consensus recommendations","authors":"Erika Kouzoukas ,&nbsp;Carolina Navas ,&nbsp;Laurie Zawertailo ,&nbsp;Chantal Fougere ,&nbsp;Simon L Bacon ,&nbsp;Nicholas Chadi ,&nbsp;William K Evans ,&nbsp;Ann McNeill ,&nbsp;Osnat Melamed ,&nbsp;Theo J. Moraes ,&nbsp;Onyenyechukwu Nnorom ,&nbsp;Robert Schwartz ,&nbsp;Lion Shahab ,&nbsp;Miranda Ween ,&nbsp;Peter Selby","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105117","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105117","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To develop evidence-informed recommendations on the health effects of e-cigarettes to guide healthcare practitioners and the public to balance individual and population harm reduction.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Systematic and umbrella reviews investigating the health effects of e-cigarette use were conducted (September 2017 – January 2024). An international panel of subject matter experts (<em>n</em> = 23) and people in Canada with lived experience (<em>n</em> = 7) participated in a two-day, hybrid meeting, and used a consensus-based approach to develop recommendations. A guidance resource and four accompanying knowledge products were tested for usability with end users.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Consensus was reached on 14 recommendations spanning four health effects: carcinogen exposure, cardiovascular health, respiratory health, and nicotine dependence. Quality of evidence was voted as ranging from high/moderate to moderate/low, and strength of most recommendations was voted as strong.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Guidance has been informed by best available evidence and expertise, providing direction to support decision-making. The use of established methods to evaluate divergent published literature combined with consensus-building methods among a range of stakeholders on vaping is possible. As higher quality evidence continues to emerge, recommendations will require iterative refinement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105117"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145828984","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}

{"title":"The geography of drug markets, drug crime and systemic gang violence—Open drug scenes in Sweden","authors":"Mia-Maria Magnusson ,&nbsp;Manne Gerell","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105119","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105119","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Drug market related violence has plagued Sweden in the last decade and has geographically been linked to open drug scenes, ODSs. Surveys have been used to identify ODSs in local police districts in Stockholm County since 2017. The present study analyzes how ODSs and hot spots of police-reported crime relate to geographical indicators of systemic drug market violence.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Drug hot spots are identified using clustering methods. Drug hot spots and ODSs are then both geographically matched with markers for organized crime to analyze the extent to which they can serve as geographical markers for systemic drug market related violence. The markers for organized crime employed are shootings and organized crime related activities described in court cases that include encrypted phone texts.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our findings suggest that drug hot spots are a rather weak predictor of systemic drug market related violence, whereas ODSs function reasonably well, particularly in the case of ODSs in areas with an established presence of criminal networks.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Measuring drug market locations is complex, but drug market related violence can be understood geographically by linking typical gang-related crimes to places with open drug scenes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105119"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145806000","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}

{"title":"Substance use patterns and homicide in Finland, 2002–2022: Comparison of young and adult offenders","authors":"Maiju Tanskanen ,&nbsp;Karoliina Karjalainen ,&nbsp;Miisa Törölä ,&nbsp;Anna Raeste ,&nbsp;Sofia Malinen ,&nbsp;Janne Kivivuori","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to the increase in the use of illicit drugs in western Europe, key policy stakeholders and researchers have increasingly focused on the drugs–violence nexus. However, previous research on changing substance use patterns among homicide offenders, particularly studies that consider alcohol and drugs simultaneously, remains limited. Comparative analyses of youth- versus adult-perpetrated homicides from a substance use perspective are particularly scarce. The current study addressed the research gaps using a unique Finnish dataset of homicides committed between 2002 and 2022 and comparing substance use among young (15–29-year-olds; <em>n</em> = 589) and adult (30+-year-olds; <em>n</em> = 1249) offenders. The findings point to significant changes in substance use patterns in homicides during the study period, especially with respect to youth homicides. Driven largely by a considerable drop in alcohol-related homicides among both youth and adults, the findings are consistent with previous literature suggesting that illicit drugs may be becoming proportionally more central than older patterns of substance use in violence. Specifically, the findings indicate that the substance-use profile of youth-perpetrated homicides particularly has changed markedly over the study period: the dominant context has shifted from situational alcohol consumption to direct or indirect involvement with drugs, and most recently, drug-related homicide profiles accounted for over 40 % of youth-perpetrated homicides. Regarding substance co-use patterns, the findings show that while alcohol-related homicides most often do not involve the co-use of other substances, various drug categories are correlated among homicide offenders, and the co-use of multiple drugs is common among both young and adult drug-involved offenders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105118"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791846","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}

{"title":"Leveraging web-scraped data to examine alcohol pricing: an Australian feasibility study with retail data","authors":"Tina Lam ,&nbsp;Cynthia Huang ,&nbsp;Alexandra Torney ,&nbsp;Sarah Callinan ,&nbsp;Brian Vandenberg ,&nbsp;Ting Xia ,&nbsp;Colin Angus ,&nbsp;Robin Room ,&nbsp;Rowan Ogeil ,&nbsp;Aaron Cowper ,&nbsp;Simone Pettigrew ,&nbsp;Bosco Rowland ,&nbsp;Danica Keric ,&nbsp;Dan I Lubman ,&nbsp;Suzanne Nielsen","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105115","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105115","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Although price is critical in determining alcohol purchase and subsequent harms, researchers rarely have access to comprehensive alcohol price data. Web scraping is an advanced data collection technique that uses automated computer scripts to efficiently gather extensive website data. The aims of this paper are to demonstrate web scraping’s capacity to generate alcohol policy relevant data, and to assess the method’s consistency by comparing datasets collected by a commercial provider with those produced by a university-developed scraper.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Price and product data from the entire online catalogues of major retailers representing the majority of the Australian market were scraped daily by the commercial provider since 2020, with data collected from all jurisdictions, and products sold by multiple retailers matched. A university-developed web scraper collected a single-day’s catalogue data from the country’s largest alcohol retailer to compare with the commercial dataset as a reliability cross-check.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of the 16,409 products identified in both the commercial and university databases, there was an excellent match on the product prices (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.997 [95 %CI: 0.9972–0.9973]). A visualisation from the three largest Australian retailers demonstrated how daily prices varied over a 12-month period, for example with more frequent price changes for Australia’s largest retailer compared to the second and third, and across jurisdictions, such as some deeper discounting in Victoria.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>This study presented an independently cross-checked large-scale and longitudinal web scraping approach to collect alcohol price data, and demonstrated that the adapted data could aid understanding of the alcohol retail market. Web scraping is a feasible method to collect price data to support the development of evidence-based alcohol price policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105115"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791855","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}

{"title":"The effect of a police crackdown on online drug sales: on the importance of targeting vendors’ reputation?","authors":"Etienne Blais ,&nbsp;David Décary-Hétu ,&nbsp;William Arbour ,&nbsp;Camille Gagné ,&nbsp;Roxane Perrin-Plouffe ,&nbsp;Arielle Chaîné","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This article evaluates the effect of a police crackdown on cannabis vendors operating in cryptomarkets. The police seized &gt;100 cannabis parcels in transit and arrested one runner during this crackdown.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An automated web crawler was used to download, and structure content found on 30 cryptomarkets between 1 January 2015 and 26 June 2017. Data were then aggregated on a weekly basis. The synthetic difference-and-difference (SDiD) approach and its extension for event-study analysis were used to estimate the effect of the police crackdown on the number of cannabis transactions and vendors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Estimates from the SDiD models suggest that the crackdown was associated with a significant decline in cannabis transactions. The event-study analysis indicates that the effect was delayed and for a short time. Estimates from the SDiD show that the overall effect of the crackdown on vendors was not significant. The event-study analysis shows that a significant effect was observed for several time units; the effect can be characterized as abrupt and lasted for several weeks after the intervention.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Results suggest that police crackdowns can effectively disrupt for cryptomarkets. Seizing parcels negatively affected vendors’ reputation and compromised the trust system on which cryptomarkets are built.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105113"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145805955","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}

{"title":"Targeting youth? Alcohol in colorful fruit pouches - a case study from Poland","authors":"Julia Nowicka-Janik ,&nbsp;Justyna Klingemann ,&nbsp;Bartosz Janik ,&nbsp;Marta Miller ,&nbsp;Maria Stasiak ,&nbsp;Katarzyna Michta ,&nbsp;Jagoda Arendt ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Wojtecka ,&nbsp;Łukasz Balwicki","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Alcohol consumption remains a major public health problem in Poland, with high per capita intake. While youth drinking is decreasing, the industry is exploring marketing tactics targeted at young people. In 2024, the launch of fruit-flavored alcohol pouches in Poland raised concerns due to packaging that could appeal to minors. This study aimed to assess the regulatory gaps that allowed the launch of this product and to examine responses from governmental bodies, public institutions and the general public.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An exploratory, web-based review of publicly available Polish-language sources from June 2024 to January 2025 was conducted. To accomplish this, targeted keyword searches were carried out across online news portals, government websites, and social media platforms. Sources were selected based on their credibility and relevance, and then cross-verified to ensure accuracy. A descriptive analysis was performed to identify product and manufacturer descriptions, create a timeline of events, and examine institutional and public reactions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study provides a timeline of key events, from the launch of alcohol pouches to their eventual withdrawal following media scrutiny and government intervention. Observers, including politicians, and public commentators, emphasized the strong visual resemblance between the alcohol pouches and non-alcoholic fruit pouches intended for children. Existing Polish regulations proved insufficient to prevent the introduction of such products, highlighting the need for urgent policy updates. Public reaction and strong media criticism played a key role in prompting the regulatory changes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This case highlights the risks posed by alcohol products resembling non-alcoholic fruit pouches and underscores gaps in Polish alcohol regulations. Stricter packaging rules, clearer labelling requirements, and improved enforcement mechanisms are essential to protect vulnerable groups, especially minors. The findings highlight the need for better industry monitoring and adoption of a more proactive regulatory approach in order to close legal gaps and protect public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105109"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791856","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}

{"title":"Silent couriers: animal exploitation in drug smuggling","authors":"Zeynep Arslan,&nbsp;Sena Nur Kadem,&nbsp;Zeynep Turkmen","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105114","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105114"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145783273","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}

{"title":"Drug law is a multispecies concern","authors":"Kate Seear","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this essay, I argue that the law in general and drug law in particular are predicated on hierarchies of meaning and value, including hierarchies in which ‘the human’ is afforded primacy. This matters, because legal, policy and practice structures that privilege human interests are increasingly understood to be implicated in global injustice, climate and planetary crises. Western legal systems are coming under increasing scrutiny in legal scholarship, but such critiques have been less influential in drug research. The aim of this essay is to introduce readers to a wider, burgeoning literature that considers posthuman, multispecies and post-anthropocentric questions in law, to make a case for the importance of these critiques for our field and illustrate how they might be relevant. I argue that drug laws, policies and practices are a matter of concern for all creatures on Earth, including animals, bacteria, insects, plants and fungi. This should be obvious when we consider the fact that various beings, such as plants and fungi, have never been <em>outside</em> drug policy, including because they are very objects we humans cultivate and consume, and because they are some of the <em>central targets</em> of prohibition. Drawing on ideas from legal scholars working in ‘multispecies justice’ (Celermajer et al. 2024; Haraway 2008), ‘posthuman’ and ‘more-than-human’ legalities (e.g. Petersmann 2022; Jones 2021; Braverman 2015), I argue that we need new legal and policy approaches. I offer some provocations on what a posthuman or multispecies or approach to drug law, policy and practice might entail.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"148 ","pages":"Article 105116"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145782839","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}