XVI - Ten years of Plan Colombia: An Analytic Assessment.
Over the last decade Plan Colombia has been the principal strategy addressing the complex dynamics of illicit drugs production within that country. It is based on the assumption that a reduction in the illicit drugs market worldwide can be tackled by focusing on supply control measures. Plan Colombia was originally proposed as a peace programme, but soon became a military strategy aimed at weakening the link between illicit drugs and insurgency.

XV - Drug Control in Georgia: Drug Testing and the Reduction of Drug Use?
This briefing paper examines some current issues surrounding drug policy in the Republic of Georgia. The authors argue that, despite endorsing a balanced approach to dealing with the consequences of an expanding illicit drug market, Georgian authorities remain overly reliant on enforcement oriented policies.

XIV - The Effects of Decriminalisation of Drug Use in Portugal.
In 2004, the Beckley Foundation reported on the legal changes that took place in Portugal in 2001, which effectively decriminalised the possession and use of all drugs, and diverted those arrested into education or treatment programmes (Allen, Trace, & Klein, 2004). This report aims to provide an updated overview of the effects of these changes, using data from the evaluations that have been carried out and from new interviews with key stakeholders in Portugal.

XIII - At a Crossroads: Drug Trafficking, Violence and the Mexican State.
In this joint WOLA-BFDPP policy brief, the authors provide an overview of current and past drug policies implemented by the Mexican government, with a focus on its law enforcement efforts. It analyzes the trends in the increased reliance on the Mexican armed forces in counter-drug activities and the role that the United States government has played in shaping Mexico's counter-drug efforts.

XII - The Australian "heroin shortage" six years on.
What, if any, are the implications for drug policy? This briefing paper summarizes the results of research into the consequences of the so-called Australian "heroin shortage" in 2001 and reviews the continuing debate about its causes and policy significance.

XI - Report of the Third Beckley International Drug Policy Seminar
The Beckley Foundation organised its third annual international seminar on drug policy in the House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, on 4 December 2006. The objective of the seminar was to examine the preparations for the forthcoming global review of the international drug control system.

X - Drug Policy in India: Compounding Harm?
This briefing paper looks at the history of the use of psychoactive drugs in India, and particularly the use of Cannabis and Opium derivatives in religious and social rituals. The authors argue that, for centuries, such use was closely constrained by social and cultural norms, and few problems of addiction, crime or public health related to these patterns of use have been recorded. [Spanish]

IX - UNAIDS & the Prevention of HIV infection through injecting Drug Use
This paper describes the problems caused by injecting drug use as a mode of transmission of HIV, and the need for the global community to find effective methods of minimising that risk. Although there are proven harm reduction measures for reducing the incidence of HIV there has been continuing controversy about the morality of such an approach and the fear that providing such support might encourage the continuance of injecting behaviour.

VIII - The Rise of Harm Reduction in the Islamic Republic of Iran
This paper looks at changing approaches to the drug problem in Iran where there is growing recognition of the limits of an enforcement driven approach, and the importance of the medical and social dimensions of drug misuse. This has resulted in improvements in drug treatment and expansion of harm reduction services including: HIV prevention, substitution treatment, outreach, and the development of treatment and infection prevention services for drug users in prison.[Spanish]

VII - Incarceration of Drug Offenders: Costs and Impacts
This paper looks at the pros and cons of pursuing a policy of large-scale arrest and incarceration of drug users. Taking the USA as the main example of this approach, the authors examine the costs of incarceration in terms of public expenditure, and consequential impacts on health and social cohesion, and the impact on drug use prevalence and markets through incapacitation of users, access to treatment, and deterrence. [Spanish]

VI - Decriminalization of Drugs in Portugal: a Current Overview
In July 2001, Portugal's government implemented a notable change in drug policy. From that date, users of any illegal drug apprehended by police were brought not before the courts, but before special commissions composed of health, legal, and social work professionals, whose aim was to give drug users the opportunity to access treatment for addiction and other problems related to drug use. This paper presents an overview of the current Portuguese experience since the 2001 reforms. [Spanish]

V - Thailand's War on Drugs
The Thai 'war on drugs', which commenced in February 2003 in response to an explosion in methamphetamine use in this region of East Asia, has resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests. This paper provides insights into the strengths and limits of enforcement as an instrument of drug policy, by examining what is perhaps the toughest and most uncompromising recent manifestation of this approach. [Spanish]

IV - Upheavals in the Australian drug market: heroin drought, stimulant flood
Australia experienced extraordinary and unprecedented changes to its illicit drug market from the end of 2000. A 'heroin drought' made the media headlines and grabbed the attention of drug policy specialists across the world. Less widely publicised was the flood of cocaine and methamphetamine into the country the same time. [Spanish]

III - Drug Consumption Rooms
The defining characteristic of Drug Consumption Rooms is that they are legally sanctioned environments where people can take illegal drugs. Their purpose is to reduce drug-related harms. The underlying assumption is that if problem drug users are provided with safe private environments within which to administer drugs there will be a reduction in unsafe public drug use. [Spanish]

II- Drug Policy and the HIV Pandemic in Russia and the Ukraine
Over the past three years Russia and Ukraine have experienced one of the fastest growing HIV pandemics in Europe. In contrast to other parts of the world, the main driver behind the rate of infection is injecting drug use. Recent government policies have placed a heavy emphasis on reducing availability and on harsh punishments for drug users. This approach has not succeeded in significantly reducing the level of drug use. [Spanish]

I - Reclassification of Cannabis in the UK
On 29 January 2004, an amendment to the drug laws came into effect in the UK that moved cannabis and its derivatives from Class B to Class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the primary drug control legislation in the UK. The paper discusses the motivations for this policy change and the complex manner of its implementation. [Spanish]