Vol. 6 No. 1 (2024): PROGRESS REPORT GLOBAL COUNTRY POLICY REVIEW: A HUMANITARIAN COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON DRUG POLICIES, ON THE BASIS OF THE ROME CONSENSUS 2.0

This report represents a pioneering contribution to the global understanding of drug policy through a combined approach of bibliometric analysis and the development of preliminary country profiles. It aims to uncover trends, challenges, and opportunities in global drug policy, focusing on alignment with humanitarian principles, the Rome Consensus 2.0, and Sustainable Development Goals. This comes in the wake of the recognized ineffectiveness of the War on Drugs strategy in reducing drug use or drug-related crime, thereby failing to enhance public safety and health. The project introduces a novel vision for future national policies that aspire to achieve the desired public safety and health outcomes.

Employing an innovative and rigorous methodology, this study leverages bibliometric analysis alongside a detailed qualitative examination of drug policies in various countries. The bibliometric analysis provides an overview of prevailing research trends and themes within the drug policy literature, analyzing a refined sample of 24,917 research inputs from 2014-2023, with a focus on substances such as cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. Concurrently, the qualitative country profiles offer specific insights into the national-level implementation and impact of these policies.