Drug policy cost and benefit assessment

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) publication “A war against people who use drugs: the costs” recommends to governments to undertake a comprehensive drug policy assessment of benefits and costs related to implementation of policies aimed to combat drug use and drug trafficking by applying 3 rules.

Rule1: evaluate whether measures implemented reach goals and targets stated in their national legislation and international human rights treaties.

To simplify this means that, for example, if country x is committed to achieving the MDG6, which seeks to halt by 2015 and begin to reverse the spread of HIV, and if new HIV incidents are increasing in country x, we may have doubts about effectiveness and adequacy of measures implemented to reach this target.

Rule2: provide detailed analysis of budgetary expenses directly and indirectly related to implementation of drug policies.

For example, Georgia implements a random drug testing on the streets. Direct costs of such a measure would include personnel costs and tools required to do such testing. Indirect costs would be considered such costs as prison expenses that result from implementation of such measure (as people with positive results are imprisoned) or healthcare costs (prison settings are considered to be an environment of increased health-risk).

Rule3: Analyse economic and social effects of such policies, including but not limited to well-being, morbidity and mortality in affected communities and in the general population, as well as in respect to the human rights and social integration of people who use drugs.

For example, until recently the HIV infection rate among drug users in Estonia was 50 per cent, while 1,3 per cent in the general population. Such drastic difference between the HIV infection rates among drug users and the general population, would mean that the implemented policies affecting drug users in Estonia have tremendous social effects.

Image: Flickr/Leonid Mamchenkov