Legalisation and Decriminalisation of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Abstract

Debates about decriminalising and legalising certain narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have gained much momentum in recent years as a growing number of jurisdictions are exploring the introduction of measures to permit, albeit in very controlled ways, the use of some narcotic drugs. Many argue that the so-called ‚war on drugs‘ has failed to produce any meaningful successes and that new ways to prevent substance abuse need to be explored. Nevertheless, most jurisdictions continue to impose near complete bans on the production, manufacturing, trade, transport, supply, sale, and possession of illicit drugs. This volume presents a collection of academic papers that examine recent developments in relation to international and national laws and selected substances.The Editors:Prof. Dr. iur. Gian Ege is Assistant Professor for Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zurich, Switzerland.Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Andreas Schloenhardt is Professor of Criminal Law at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and Honorary Professor of Foreign and International Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna, Austria.Prof. Dr. iur. Christian Schwarzenegger is Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zurich, Switzerland.Dr. iur. Monika Stempkowski is a Researcher at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology at the University of Vienna, Austria.