The Cost of Crackdowns: Policing Cabramatta's Heroin Market

Maher, Lisa; Dixon, David

doi:10.1080/10345329.2001.12036213

Cited by 86 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…138 During police crackdowns in Australia, PWUD reportedly switched from inhalation or smoking of substances to injection, which is much riskier, partly because during crackdowns drugs became scarcer and injection could be accomplished with lower quantities of drugs as well as more quickly and less visibly than smoking. 139 Other studies have shown that crackdowns lead to rushed injections, more vascular accidents, and the likelihood that steps such as disinfecting the injection site will be skipped. 140 In Malaysia, rushing an injection because of police presence was found to be linked to risk of overdose.…”

Section: Drug Policy and Infectious Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health and international drug policy

et al. 2016

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Executive summary In September 2015, the member states of the United Nations endorsed sustainable development goals (SDG) for 2030 that aspire to human rights-centered approaches to ensuring the health and well-being of all people. The SDGs embody both the UN Charter values of rights and justice for all and the responsibility of states to rely on the best scientific evidence as they seek to better humankind. In April 2016, these same states will consider control of illicit drugs, an area of social policy that has been fraught with controversy, seen as inconsistent with human rights norms, and for which scientific evidence and public health approaches have arguably played too limited a role. The previous UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 1998 – convened under the theme “a drug-free world, we can do it!” – endorsed drug control policies based on the goal of prohibiting all use, possession, production, and trafficking of illicit drugs. This goal is enshrined in national law in many countries. In pronouncing drugs a “grave threat to the health and well-being of all mankind,” the 1998 UNGASS echoed the foundational 1961 convention of the international drug control regime, which justified eliminating the “evil” of drugs in the name of “the health and welfare of mankind.” But neither of these international agreements refers to the ways in which pursuing drug prohibition itself might affect public health. The “war on drugs” and “zero-tolerance” policies that grew out of the prohibitionist consensus are now being challenged on multiple fronts, including their health, human rights, and development impact. The Johns Hopkins – Lancet Commission on Drug Policy and Health has sought to examine the emerging scientific evidence on public health issues arising from drug control policy and to inform and encourage a central focus on public health evidence and outcomes in drug policy debates, such as the important deliberations of the 2016 UNGASS on drugs. The Johns Hopkins-Lancet Commission is concerned that drug policies are often colored by ideas about drug use and drug dependence that are not scientifically grounded. The 1998 UNGASS declaration, for example, like the UN drug conventions and many national drug laws, does not distinguish between drug use and drug abuse. A 2015 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, by contrast, found it important to emphasize that “[d]rug use is neither a medical condition nor does it necessarily lead to drug dependence.” The idea that all drug use is dangerous and evil has led to enforcement-heavy policies and has made it difficult to see potentially dangerous drugs in the same light as potentially dangerous foods, tobacco, alcohol for which the goal of social policy is to reduce potential harms. Health impact of drug policy based on enforcement of prohibition The pursuit of drug prohibition has generated a parallel economy run by criminal networks. Both these networks, which resort to violence to protect their markets, and the police and sometimes military ...

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Section: Drug Policy and Infectious Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health and international drug policy

et al. 2016

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“…The identification of unintended negative consequences stemming from intensified policing activities sparked public debate regarding the merit of addressing public drug use with enforcement-based approaches 10 14 15. These concerns have been echoed in other cities where enforcement activities have been employed to manage high rates of public drug use 1 16 – 18…”

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confidence: 99%

Public injecting among a cohort of injecting drug users in Vancouver, Canada

DeBeck

Small

Wood

et al. 2009

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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The findings indicate that a substantial proportion of local IDUs frequently inject in public, and those who report recently injecting in public spaces appear to be a vulnerable population facing significant health hazards. The provision of secure housing may have the potential to protect the health of IDUs in this setting and significantly decrease the prevalence of public injecting. In addition, the findings support previous work suggesting that removing barriers to the use of Vancouver's existing supervised injection site may serve to further reduce public drug use.

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“…There was a significant treatment effect with no evidence of spatial displacement of crimes and once again a diffusion of benefits. Some studies on open drug markets have found significant treatment effects with displacement to indoor locations (Kennedy, 1993;Maher & Dixon, 2001). Other evaluation research concerned with crime prevention in open drug markets has found evidence of expansion diffusion.…”

Section: Displacement Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Even when it can be demonstrated that they did reduce crime, once the resources are removed or the operation ends, there often is little or no lasting deterrent effect (Cohen & Ludwig, 2003;Sherman & Rogan, 1995;Tita et al, 2003). Crackdowns also have been shown to have a negative impact on police-community relations (Maher & Dixon, 2001;Sherman, 1997), increase the potential for abuse by police (Davis & Lurigio, 1996), and divert funds from other areas of policing (Davis & Lurigio, 1996;Green, 1996). The most common criticism of geographically targeted crackdowns, however, centers on the issue of displacement (Davis & Lurigio, 1996;Kennedy, 1993;Wood et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

A spatial analysis of green teams: a tactical response to marijuana production in British Columbia

Malm

Tita

2007

Policy Sci

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Over a period of 4Â years (1997–2000), British Columbia (BC) experienced tremendous growth in the illicit production and distribution of domestically grown marijuana. By the close of 2000, each policing jurisdiction in BC had adopted a particular policy in response to grow operation proliferation. In summary, four policy responses were noted. First, some maintained the status quo wherein enforcement of police initiated investigations and citizens’ tips continued, but with no additional resources specifically dedicated to grow operations. Second, some jurisdictions suspended the majority of investigation and enforcement of grow operations. Third, some agencies implemented or reinforced existing resource intensive drug squads, which focused on trafficking, sales and production of all types of drugs. Finally, some of the jurisdictions formed specialized tactical units known as â€œgreen teamsâ€\x9D that focused solely on the enforcement of marijuana production. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of green teams using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and difference-in-difference estimates. The results indicate that green teams decrease grow operations within their target area without significant displacement to surrounding areas. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLP 2006Displacement, Criminal justice policy, Police crackdown, GIS, Policing, Marijuana, Policy evaluation,

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The Cost of Crackdowns: Policing Cabramatta's Heroin Market

Cited by 86 publications

References 10 publications

Public health and international drug policy

Public health and international drug policy

Public injecting among a cohort of injecting drug users in Vancouver, Canada

A spatial analysis of green teams: a tactical response to marijuana production in British Columbia

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