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When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Cook, PJ; Reuter, P
Published in: Addiction (Abingdon, England)
August 2007

To reflect on the divergence and overlap between alcohol and illicit drugs with respect to both current policies and policy research.For demand reduction, there is considerable overlap in programs and services for prevention and even more clearly for treatment. For supply controls there is mostly divergence, reflecting the difference in legal status. Research generally follows the same pattern. However, a cross-cutting research agenda on the supply side has merit.Even in a prohibition regime, law-enforcement agencies have considerable discretion. A systematic, pragmatic, 'evidence-based' use of that discretion to reduce harm is possible. It can be accomplished only by a continuing program of policy research that measures the harms of drug use and drug enforcement, assesses the effects of current policies on both these sources of social cost and explores alternative strategies. There is a similarly important project for alcohol and tobacco control policy. The goal for research on alcohol and tobacco is to document the extent to which supply controls can be effective in reducing harm; the additional goal for illicit drugs is to document just how much the current ideologically driven approach is costing the public.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Addiction (Abingdon, England)

DOI

EISSN

1360-0443

ISSN

0965-2140

Publication Date

August 2007

Volume

102

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1183 / 1188

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance Abuse
  • Social Control Policies
  • Research Design
  • Humans
  • Health Policy
  • Harm Reduction
  • Alcohol Drinking
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology
  • 4206 Public health
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
 

Citation

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Cook, P. J., & Reuter, P. (2007). When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 102(8), 1183–1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01837.x
Cook, Philip J., and Peter Reuter. “When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy.Addiction (Abingdon, England) 102, no. 8 (August 2007): 1183–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01837.x.
Cook PJ, Reuter P. When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2007 Aug;102(8):1183–8.
Cook, Philip J., and Peter Reuter. “When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy.Addiction (Abingdon, England), vol. 102, no. 8, Aug. 2007, pp. 1183–88. Epmc, doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01837.x.
Cook PJ, Reuter P. When is alcohol just another drug? Some thoughts on research and policy. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2007 Aug;102(8):1183–1188.
Journal cover image

Published In

Addiction (Abingdon, England)

DOI

EISSN

1360-0443

ISSN

0965-2140

Publication Date

August 2007

Volume

102

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1183 / 1188

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance Abuse
  • Social Control Policies
  • Research Design
  • Humans
  • Health Policy
  • Harm Reduction
  • Alcohol Drinking
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology
  • 4206 Public health
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences