Anatomy of Failure: International 'Narcotic' Drug Control
| Dates: | 5 December 2018 |
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| Times: | 16:30 - 18:30 |
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| What is it: | Lecture |
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| Organiser: | School of Law |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public, Post 16 |
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| Speaker: | Julia Buxton PhD |
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The 2018 UNODC World Drug Report cites record highs: in the cultivation
of coca and opium poppy, in cocaine and heroin production, in the
manufacture of synthetic drugs, in drug use, and in drug related deaths.
Five decades since the criminalisation of unauthorised drug markets and a
century since control efforts first began, the 2018 report presents a
remarkable picture of policy failure. This lecture outlines why the drug 'war'
can never be won but why it persists - with disproportionately negative
impacts on the poor, on minority communities and on countries of the
Global South. It is argued that the elision of narcotics, organised crime and
terrorism - including through the agency of the UNODC, has compounded
policy failure and generated impacts that are deleterious for health,
development and human rights. The conclusion looks to the importance of
building a drug peace through radical reform of the international drug
control model and the integration of evidence based approaches in drug
strategies rather than any tinkering at the edges of a flawed model with
unachievable goals.
The lecture will be followed by a wine reception, also in the Cross Street Chapel. The lecture is public and open to all.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Julia Buxton PhD is Professor of Comparative Politics at the School of
Public Policy, Central European University, Budapest, where she is a
specialist on conflict, security and violence with geographic expertise on
Latin America. Julia is the Simon Visiting Professor in the School of Law,
The University of Manchester. She was a co-commissioner of The Lancet
2016 special edition on Public Health and International Drug Control,
author of various policy reports on darknets and drugs and development
(GDPO Swansea), author of the 2006 Zed publication Political Economy of
Narcotics and is currently researching the gendered impacts of counter
narcotics enforcement with expert regional groups based in Ghana, Mexico
and Budapest. Her forthcoming publication 'Anatomy of Failure' (Lynne
Rienner, Colorado) examines gender blindness in drug policy.
Speaker
Julia Buxton PhD
Role: Professor of Comparative Politics
Organisation: Central European University, Budapest
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Cross Street Chapel
Cross Street
Manchester
