Description
Book SynopsisHow is UK drugs policy made, and why does it so often seem irrational when considering what works in reducing drug-related harms? This book explains how the concept of drug policy constellations – the loosely concerted policy actors with shared moral commitments that influenced policy outcomes – explains why there is no such thing as 'evidence-based' drug policy. Drawing on his participation in high-level policy discussions, and a novel approach to policy analysis, Stevens presents three recent cases involving key issues in UK illicit drug policy – medical cannabis, drug-related deaths and the government’s 10-year drug strategy.
Table of Contents1. An Introduction to Drug Policy Constellations Part I: Contexts, Concepts and Methods for Studying Drug Policy Constellations 2. Facts and Narratives of the UK Drug Policy Context 3. Power and Morality in Policy Making 4. Policy Constellation: A Critical Realist Approach 5. Studying Policy Constellations in the Real World Part II: Morality and Power in UK Drug Policy Constellations 6. Moralities in Action: The Ethico-Political Bases of UK Drug Policy 7. Mapping UK Drug Policy Constellations 8. Power in UK Drug Policy Constellations Part III: Cases in Drug Policy Making in the UK 9. The Legalisation of Medical Cannabis 10. Responses to the Drug Deaths Crisis: Explaining Differences at UK and Scottish Levels 11. The UK’s Ten-Year Drug Strategy 12. A Retroductive Conclusion
