Julie Tieberghien - Change or Continuity in Drug Policy: The Roles of Science, Media, and Interest Groups

The Roles of Science, Media, and Interest Groups

Julie Tieberghien

First published 2017
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Tieberghien, Julie, author.
Title: Change or continuity in drug policy : the roles of science, media, and interest groups / Julie Tieberghien.
Description: | Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2017. | Series: Routledge frontiers of criminal justice | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016055454| ISBN 9781138203068 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315472379 (eISBN)
Subjects: LCSH: Drug abuseGovernment policy. | Drug control. | Drug legalization.
Classification: LCC HV5801 .T54 2017 | DDC 362.29/1561dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016055454

ISBN: 978-1-138-20306-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-47237-9 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear

For Bruno, Mette, and Klara

Researchers often wonder what becomes of the results of their research. So did I. The idea for this book came from drug research that I have been working on in recent years. My initial research work focused on local drug/alcohol monitoring systems and comparative assessments of drug-policy strategies. In this context, I was involved in monitoring drug use trends at the local level for the city of Antwerp, which aimed to provide information for an evidence-based policy concerning prevention, harm reduction, and treatment, as well as to stimulate the (ongoing) dialogue between policy-makers and a broad range of stakeholders. Over the course of my involvement in this research, I presented findings to a broad range of stakeholders including police officers, treatment practitioners, and local policy-makers, and I felt optimistic about inspiring some small policy changes. However, through informal conversations with some stakeholders and drug users, I had an increasing number of reservations about the potential impact of my research findings on the local (drug) policy context. Generally, I started to wonder if and how scientific knowledge can play a role in the drug policy-making process or, in other words, how the science-policy nexus in the drug policy field actually works. From these first research experiences onwards, I became fascinated with the complex processes that underpin the development of criminal justice and public policy, and the debates around expert knowledge and the policy process. This book is devoted to these particular issues and reflects my attempt to create further insight about the links between science and policy in the field of drugs by moving beyond zero-sum statements of policy-making being evidence-based or evidence-free. Analysing the roles of science, media, and interest groups in the context of Belgian drug policy development but with insights gathered from other countries this book discusses theoretical perspectives and presents new evidence that can be used to challenge the way you think about the link between science and policy and, more broadly, about the underlying aspects of change or continuity in drug policies.