Demand reduction
Encyclopedia
Demand reduction refers to efforts aimed at reducing public desire for illegal and illicit drugs. This drug policy
is in contrast to the reduction of drug supply
, but the two policies are often implemented together. Some discussions of demand reduction make a distinction between policies that address single issues (such as public "knowledge-of-harms") or are short-term interventions (such as in-school programs), and those that approach drug demand as a complex issue with multiple social risk factors.
Some economists such as Milton Friedman
argue that, due to the law of supply and demand
, reducing demand is the only effective way to reduce drug use long-term. It is questionable, however, whether the programs pursued under the name of demand reduction actually reduce demand.
replaced the black-and-white warning messages on cigarette cartons sold in that country with color graphic depictions of the consequences of smoking, mandating that they cover 50% of the front surface of each carton. Each tobacco product features one such image from a series, which includes people dying in hospitals, rotting mouths, and dissected body parts depicting tumors, along with simple bold messages stating that cigarettes cause cancer, mouth disease, impotence, and harm babies. International research supports the efficacy of such warning messages.
Other examples of demand reduction programs include D.A.R.E., the State of Montana's Not Even Once., and the Drug policy of Sweden
.
Drug policy
A drug policy most often refers to a government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society. Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug...
is in contrast to the reduction of drug supply
Supply reduction
Supply reduction is one approach to social problems such as drug addiction. Other approaches are demand reduction and harm reduction.In the case of illegal drugs, supply reduction efforts generally involves attempts to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution supply chains for these drugs, by...
, but the two policies are often implemented together. Some discussions of demand reduction make a distinction between policies that address single issues (such as public "knowledge-of-harms") or are short-term interventions (such as in-school programs), and those that approach drug demand as a complex issue with multiple social risk factors.
Some economists such as Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
argue that, due to the law of supply and demand
Supply and demand
Supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It concludes that in a competitive market, the unit price for a particular good will vary until it settles at a point where the quantity demanded by consumers will equal the quantity supplied by producers , resulting in an...
, reducing demand is the only effective way to reduce drug use long-term. It is questionable, however, whether the programs pursued under the name of demand reduction actually reduce demand.
Implementation examples
In June 2000, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
replaced the black-and-white warning messages on cigarette cartons sold in that country with color graphic depictions of the consequences of smoking, mandating that they cover 50% of the front surface of each carton. Each tobacco product features one such image from a series, which includes people dying in hospitals, rotting mouths, and dissected body parts depicting tumors, along with simple bold messages stating that cigarettes cause cancer, mouth disease, impotence, and harm babies. International research supports the efficacy of such warning messages.
Other examples of demand reduction programs include D.A.R.E., the State of Montana's Not Even Once., and the Drug policy of Sweden
Drug policy of Sweden
The Drug policy of Sweden is one of zero tolerance, including cannabis, focusing on prevention, treatment, and control, aiming to reduce both the supply of and demand for illegal drugs. Enforcement is in the form of widespread drug testing, and penalties ranging from rehabilitation treatment and...
.
See also
- Arguments for and against drug prohibitionArguments for and against drug prohibitionArguments about the prohibition of drugs, and over drug policy reform, are subjects of considerable controversy. The following is a presentation of major drug policy arguments, including those for drug law enforcement on one side of the debate, and arguments for drug law reform on the other.-...
- DeinstitutionalisationDeinstitutionalisationDeinstitutionalization or deinstitutionalization is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health service for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. Deinstitutionalization can have multiple definitions; the first...
- Drug policy of the Soviet UnionDrug policy of the Soviet UnionThe drug policy of the Soviet Union changed little throughout the existence of the state, other than slowly becoming stricter, although some differences in penalties existed in the different Union Republics...
- Self-medicationSelf-medicationSelf-medication is a term used to describe the use of drugs or other self-soothing forms of behavior to treat untreated and often undiagnosed mental distress, stress and anxiety, including mental illnesses and/or psychological trauma...
- Supply and demandSupply and demandSupply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It concludes that in a competitive market, the unit price for a particular good will vary until it settles at a point where the quantity demanded by consumers will equal the quantity supplied by producers , resulting in an...