While some progress has been made to address drug problems in the UK, significant issues remain and new challenges are emerging. As part of our work on how drug policy can respond we are organising an invite-only conference in November 2012.
The Localism and Austerity research project, which ran until April 2012, is documenting the impact of increasing localism and decentralisation, alongside decreasing public service expenditure, on action in local areas to tackle the problems associated with illicit drugs.
We believe there are benefits to be had from looking at the way drug policy is made in the UK and how this helps or hinders policy development. We aim to compare policy making systems in the UK with other countries and policy areas to identify suggestions for changes that might lead to more effective policy making processes.