Drug and Illicit Markets

Using innovative methods, we offer evidence-based insights into the size and nature of online and offline illicit markets and provide expert assessments on drug policy both nationally and internationally

Research, commentary, and events

Project
New insights into the medical use of cannabis
17 May 2022

Researchers are examining the latest developments and available evidence concerning the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Commentary
Green Light for Cannabis Legalisation in Germany Is Not a Clear-Cut Decision
06 Dec 2021

The new “traffic light” coalition in Germany recently agreed to regulate the sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops. International experience has shown that great care is needed in how cannabis policy is shaped.
Project
Identifying an approach to measure the illicit market for tobacco
11 May 2021

To capture the total volume of the illicit tobacco trade in the EU and member states, as well as distinguish between the legal and illegal market, types of tobacco products, and types of illicit trade, researchers propose a combination of five methods and three cross-validating resources.
Commentary
Australia Contained COVID-19 Early On. Can It Do the Same with Synthetic Opioids?
30 Apr 2021

Australia is at risk of a fentanyl problem, but it is better prepared than North America. If the country can make the same kind of concerted effort it did to keep COVID-19 at bay, that could save thousands of lives.
Project
Assessing the economic value of illicit markets in the EU
22 Mar 2021

The aggregate annual revenues of the nine main criminal markets in the EU ranged from €92 to €188 billion in 2019, according to research that examined the scale, actors, modus operandi and trends in these markets.
Project
Evaluating the closed coffeeshop chain cannabis experiment in the Netherlands
07 Jul 2020

Researchers are examining the possible effects of a new experiment to cultivate and deliver quality-controlled cannabis through a closed supply chain for coffeeshops in the Netherlands.
Project
Evaluating Sentencing Council guidelines for drug and theft offences
28 Jun 2019

At the request of the Sentencing Council, researchers assessed whether sentencing guidelines for specific drug and theft offences in England and Wales have an impact on sentencing outcomes and whether there are any issues with their implementation.
Project
Evaluation of drug and alcohol "payment by results" pilots
03 May 2019

Eight drug and alcohol recovery PbR pilots were evaluated to assess whether this new funding approach can stimulate the market to provide different services in these areas and encourage development of more effective recovery programmes.
Project
Evaluating individual placement and support for alcohol and drug dependence
03 Sep 2018

IPS is an evidence-based programme that helps people with mental health challenges find employment. Public Health England is conducting a trial that expands the programme to help people in treatment for substance misuse. Our researchers are conducting a process evaluation of the trial.
Commentary
Is the EU Drugs Strategy Helping to Curb the Harm Caused by Drugs?
09 Jan 2018

The EU Drugs Strategy takes a balanced approach to reduce drug demand, supply, and harm. All EU member states have a national drugs strategy, and most are aligned with the EU's. Having a coordinated voice on drug policy is valuable but is the strategy working?
Project
EU Should Renew Current Action Plan on Drugs
15 Mar 2017

To ensure that the objectives of the EU Drugs Strategy are achieved by 2020, the European Commission should renew its EU Action Plan on Drugs for the period 2017–2020 and continue to translate the current plan's high-level objectives into concrete action.
Commentary
The Future of Cannabis in the Netherlands
01 Feb 2017

The Netherlands should proceed cautiously in implementing any marijuana regulations, taking into account the models devised elsewhere and remembering that once enacted the rules will be difficult to change.
Commentary
Drug Dependence: Treatment Over Incarceration
03 Oct 2016

Drug dependence imposes significant costs to society and traditional criminal justice responses like imprisonment do not reduce crime. More quality research on alternative sanctions could help police, prosecutors, and judges expand their options while helping users get treatment.
Commentary
Dark Web Likely Isn't Fuelling International Drug Sales
19 Sep 2016

Vendors in the Netherlands have developed a fairly successful international trade of ecstasy-type drugs and stimulants from online markets, but it appears that most countries are selling illicit drugs within their own borders.
Off Site
Alice-Rap Reframes European Approach to Addiction
14 Sep 2016

The Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project was a 5-year EU effort to help policymakers rethink approaches to the human and economic costs of addictions by weaving the work of over 100 scientists in 25 countries into an integrated evidence base. RAND Europe analysed a variety of sources, including interviews with convicted drug offenders, to provide a better understanding of public sector corruption, market size, supply chains, and sales strategies.
Project
Alternatives to Coercive Sanctions Show Promise for Drug Law Offences and Drug-Related Crime
12 Sep 2016

Alternatives to coercive sanctions (ACS) seems reduce drug use and reoffending, but the evidence is equivocal and some features could make ACS more effective. Also, several common barriers prevent the use of ACS in a number of EU member states.
Project
Online Drugs Trade Growing but Still Dwarfed by Traditional Markets
05 Aug 2016

Illegal drug transactions on cryptomarkets have tripled since 2013, with revenues doubling. But at $12-21 (€10.5-18.5) million a month, this is clearly a niche market compared to the traditional offline market, estimated at $2.3 (€2) billion a month in Europe alone.
Project
Alice-Rap reframes European approach to addiction
24 May 2016

RAND Europe led a research area within the Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project, a 5-year EU project to help policymakers rethink approaches to the human and economic costs of addictions by weaving the work of over 150 scientists in 25 countries into an integrated evidence base.