Unintended consequences of drug policies experienced by young drug users in contact with the criminal justice systems

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess to what extent prohibitive drug policies hamper the management of drug problems from the perspective of young people who have experience with the criminal justice systems (CJS). Qualitative, in-depth interviews were carried out in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK) following a common interview guide to obtain comparative data on the life trajectories of drug experienced youth. Altogether 198 interviews with people aged 14-25 years were collected and analysed by national teams following a common coding book. Unintended consequences of drug policies for the individual and society were identified. Individual consequences included health consequences and traumatic experiences with law enforcement. Social consequences included those affecting social relations such as stigmatisation and those impacting on institutions, for example, focusing on drug use and neglecting other problems. This paper confirmed earlier research indicating unintended consequences of prohibitive drug policies but also added to the literature its cross-national perspective and use of young people narratives as a source of analyses. There are, however, policy measures available that may reduce the volume and range of unintended effects. Their implementation is crucial to reduce the array of unintended consequences of prohibitive drug policies.

Labour market integration of adults with alcohol and substance use problems in the Nordic countries

“…Although the consumption of all psychoactive substances has the potential to generate signi icant challenges for the individual, additional burdens are imposed upon them when they engage in the consumption of illicit substances. These include legal consequences, social stigma, and unintended consequences of drug policies (Moskalewicz et al, 2021).…”

“…Those who use illicit substances encounter distinct issues compared to those who use legal substances such as alcohol. Users of illicit substances may experience additional complications, such as legal consequences, social stigma, and unintended consequences of drug policies (Moskalewicz et al, 2021).…”

Unintended harm: A qualitative study of “harm” upon people who inject drugs in Bangkok, Thailand

“…Applying Lenton and Single’s (1998) work to our analysis of harm, unintended harm results from the strategy itself—reducing the adverse consequence of drug use for society. Moskalewicz et al (2021) report that young drug users encounter unintended consequences of drug policies which result in health consequences and social consequences (affecting social relations stigmatization). Drug policies and legal systems create particular kinds of problems, for example labeling their use as addiction (Lancaster et al, 2015; Seear and Fraser, 2014).…”