In this response to Report the IDPC welcomes improvements in the way in which sections of the Office have moved to approach the complex problem of presenting and interpreting data on global illicit drug markets as well as the associated increase in transparency surrounding working methodologies. The response, however, also highlights that the increased sophistication of the discussion of trends in world drug markets making up the bulk of the Report were not matched by the arguments put forward in the Executive Director’s Preface. As a result, the World Drug Report 2009 can be viewed in many ways as a fractured discourse containing both welcome improvements and alarming developments.
This brief review explores three key themes raised by an analysis of the document: the Executive Director’s Preface; a new approach towards the presentation of data; and the unintended consequences of the international drug control system.
September 2009
International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)