title: Research as due diligence: What can supply-side interventions accomplish and at what cost?
abstract: Supply-side interventions, which we define as laws, regulations, enforcement activities, and other measures that extend from drug production to dealing, feature prominently in drug policy and related expenditures internationally, but have undergone relatively little rigorous, empirical evaluation. We argue for filling the knowledge gap and highlight three areas of particular concern: first, the policy community knows less than it should about the efficacy of supply-side interventions; second, it lacks sufficient understanding of the scope, magnitude, and practical implications of adverse consequences that accompany such interventions; third, it lacks tools to gauge the balance of benefits and costs, both monetary and non-monetary. Our interest has been in developing a harm-based approach to address these concerns and we put forward a "harm assessment framework" for that purpose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA. Electronic address: vgreenfi@gmu.edu.
authors.forename: Victoria A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Law, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paoli
mesh_terms: D064423:Drug Trafficking / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: Benefit–cost analysis; Drug markets; Drug policy; Harm; Supply control; Supply-side intervention