ICSDP Publications

• STATE OF THE EVIDENCE: CANNABIS USE AND REGULATION
• USING EVIDENCE TO TALK ABOUT CANNABIS
• THE TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG SUPPLY INDICATORS: AN AUDIT OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS
• THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-ILLICIT-DRUG PUBLIC-SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS
• TOOLS FOR DEBATE: U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DATA ON CANNABIS PROHIBITION
• THE VIENNA DECLARATION
• EFFECT OF DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT ON DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE: EVIDENCE FROM A SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

STATE OF THE EVIDENCE: CANNABIS USE AND REGULATION

August 2015 (Updated 7 September, 2015): This report provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific research on major claims made about cannabis use and regulation. For each claim, the relevant available scientific evidence is presented and the strength of the scientific evidence in support of the claim is determined. 

LINKS: [FULL REPORT] [METHODOLOGY] [PRESS RELEASE] [CAMPAIGN] [CANNABIS USE CLAIMS SUMMARY CHART] [CANNABIS REGULATION CLAIMS SUMMARY CHART] 

Readers will notice none of the claims are strongly supported by the scientific evidence, reinforcing the significant misrepresentation of evidence on cannabis use and regulation. The ICSDP hopes that the evidence contained in this report meaningfully contributes to the global conversation around cannabis policy and helps policymakers, as well as general readers, separate scientific evidence from conjecture. Please note this report should be read in tandem with Using Evidence to Talk About Cannabis, a complementary guide to having evidence-based discussions on cannabis use and regulation.



USING EVIDENCE TO TALK ABOUT CANNABIS

August 2015 (Updated 27 August, 2015): The response guides in this summary report will equip readers with quick, easy and evidence-based responses to commonly heard claims on cannabis use and regulation. 

LINKS: [SUMMARY REPORT] [METHODOLOGY] [PRESS RELEASE] [CAMPAIGN] 

Please note these response guides should be read in tandem with State of the Evidence: Cannabis Use and Regulation, a longer report that more fully details the scientific evidence on cannabis use and regulation.






THE TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG SUPPLY INDICATORS: AN AUDIT OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS

September 2013: This study published in the British Medical Journal, Open, finds the prices of illegal drugs have generally declined while purity has increased over the past twenty years, raising questions about the effectiveness of international law enforcement efforts to reduce drug supply.

LINKS: [STUDY] [BACKGROUNDER] [PRESS RELEASE]

Researchers reviewed two decades of global drug surveillance data, finding that the supply of major illegal drugs has increased, as measured through a decline in the price, while there has been a corresponding general increase in the purity of illegal drugs.






THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-ILLICIT-DRUG PUBLIC-SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

April 2011: This study reviews existing studies on the effectiveness of anti-illicit-drug public service announcements (PSAs) and concludes that there is insufficient evidence that anti-illicit-drug PSAs are effective in reducing the intent to use illicit drugs amongst youth.

LINKS: [STUDY]

In an effort to reduce drug use by youth, governments across North America, the UK and Australia have been increasing funding for anti-illicit-drug PSAs. However, the effectiveness of these programs has not been systematically evaluated. Using existing evaluations of anti-illicit-drug PSAs this report analyses the impact that PSAs have on the intention.





TOOLS FOR DEBATE: US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DATA ON CANNABIS PROHIBITION

October 2010: This report demonstrates the failure of US cannabis prohibition and supports calls for evidence-based models to legalise and regulate the use of cannabis.

LINKS: [REPORT] [FACT SHEET] [POWERPOINT] [VIDEO] [PRESS RELEASE] 

To date, an impact assessment of cannabis prohibition based on data derived through US federal government surveillance systems has been largely absent from international debates regarding the known impacts of cannabis prohibition and the potential impacts of a regulated (i.e., legal) market. Drawing upon cannabis surveillance systems funded by the US government, this report summarises information about the impacts of US cannabis prohibition on cannabis seizures and arrests.




THE VIENNA DECLARATION

June 2010: The Vienna Declaration calls for an international commitment to evidence-based drug policy. Research has demonstrated that existing drug-law enforcement practices are not reducing health and social consequences of drug use, in fact drug related crime, violence continues to grow. 

LINKS: [COMMENT IN THE LANCET] [WEBSITE] [REPORT] [FACT SHEET][ORGANIZING TOOLKIT] [PRESS RELEASE]










EFFECT OF DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT ON DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE: EVIDENCE FROM A SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

April 2010: This report consists of a scientific review that illustrates the relationship between drug law enforcement and drug-related violence. In March 2011, this report was published in the International Journal on Drug Policy (IJDP). 

LINKS: [REPORT] [IJDP PUBLICATION] [FACT SHEET] [PRESS RELEASE] [VIDEO]

Violence is among the primary concerns of communities around the world and research from many settings has demonstrated clear links between violence and the illicit drug trade, particularly in urban settings. While violence has traditionally been framed as resulting from the effects of drugs on individual users (e.g., drug-induced psychosis), violence in drug markets and in drug-producing areas such as Mexico is increasingly understood as a means for drug gangs to gain or maintain a share of the lucrative illicit drug market.

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