title: Identifying Demand Responses to Illegal Drug Supply Interdictions.
abstract: Successful supply-side interdictions into illegal drug markets are predicated on the responsiveness of drug prices to enforcement and the price elasticity of demand for addictive drugs. We present causal estimates that targeted interventions aimed at methamphetamine input markets ('precursor control') can temporarily increase retail street prices, but methamphetamine consumption is weakly responsive to higher drug prices. After the supply interventions, purity-adjusted prices increased then quickly returned to pre-treatment levels within 6-12 months, demonstrating the short-term effects of precursor control. The price elasticity of methamphetamine demand is -0.13 to -0.21 for self-admitted drug treatment admissions and between -0.24 and -0.28 for hospital inpatient admissions. We find some evidence of a positive cross-price effect for cocaine, but we do not find robust evidence that increases in methamphetamine prices increased heroin, alcohol, or marijuana drug use. This study can inform policy discussions regarding other synthesized drugs, including illicit use of pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications, US Census Bureau, Room 6H216F, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Finlay
mesh_terms: D003042:Cocaine / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D018803:Models, Economic
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008694:Methamphetamine; D003042:Cocaine
keywords: addiction; demand; illegal drugs; methamphetamine; substitution; war on drugs