ONLINE RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHING THE DRUG INDUSTRY
The International Narcotics Control Strategy
Report (INCSR)
http://www.state.gov/g/inl/rls/nrcrpt/
The INCSR, produced annually by the U.S. State
Department, is a key source of up-to-date information
on both the drug industry and drug control activities in
some 140 countries around the world. Although the
report clearly reflects official U.S. priorities and inter-
ests in its wording and its selection of reported infor-
mation, it provides valuable overviews and statistics
concerning international drug production and interdic-
tion. The 1996-2001 reports are available on the site.
Global Illicit Drug Trends/ World Drug Report
2000-UNDCP
http://www.undcp.org/global_illicitdrug trends.html
http://www.undcp.org/world drugreport.html
Global Illicit Drug Trends, an annual report of the
United Nations International Drug Control Program
(UNDCP), is another key source on the international
drug economy. The report "attempts to identify trends
in the evolution of global illicit drug markets" by "tak-
ing a statistical approach to assessing the status of
world supply in and demand for illicit drugs." The
report includes useful statistics on drug production,
including "farm gate"-producer-prices for various
drug crops. World Drug Report 2000 takes a detailed
look at certain aspects of the drug industry complex,
including alternative development. Other relevant
UNDCP publications can also be found on the site.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP) website
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
This is the U.S. Drug Czar's website and it contains
official policy statements-along with outright
antidrug propaganda-and a wealth of links to other
drug-related websites.
There is an invaluable table of links to most sources
of U.S. government generated data concerning both
international and domestic drug consumption and
interdiction and international production:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/source
s.html
The site also includes the full text of the current
National Drug Control Strategy Report, the White
House's annual overview of all U.S.-funded drug con-
trol activities. This report contains a detailed break-
down of federal spending in this area. In recent years, these reports have become rather sketchy concerning
official thinking behind drug control policy, but earlier
reports-not available online, check your local
library-were far more detailed in this regard and are
an invaluable resource for those interested in the evolu-
tion of U.S. drug control policy over the last few
decades.
While the site is a good place to start a search for
information on current U.S. policy, don't expect to find
information about policy alternatives or links to groups
that take a critical stance: For those see some of the
sites discussed below.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
http://www.dea.gov/
The homepage of the DEA's official website is obvi-
ously aimed at celebrating the agency's drug war "vic-
tories" and at painting a picture of an ever-more-dan-
gerous drug enemy; but the site also contains some
more sober-minded and useful information, especially
in the "intelligence reports" section. These reports
include detailed examinations of the drug industry in
particular countries and regions as well as reports on
production, distribution and use of specific drugs.
Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)
http://www.drugpolicy.org/
The DPA, a merger of two leading drug policy
reform groups, the Lindesmith Center and the Drug
Policy Foundation, works "to broaden the public
debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alterna-
tives to the war on drugs based on science, compassion,
public health and human rights." The DPA website
includes an excellent online library with articles on
many drug-related subjects. It also contains useful
annotated bibliographies, including one on "The
Economics of the Drug War" that discusses various
ways drug production and use are measured. See:
http://www.lindesmith.org/library/economics_bib.html
The Drug Reform Coordination Network
http://www.drcnet.org/
DRCNet's weekly email newsletter, "The Week
Online," is a comprehensive, well-reported and lively
source of news about both international and U.S. drug
policy, with an emphasis on the effects of policy on
people. Subscribe for free on the site, which also con-
tains useful background reports and links.
WOLA-Drugs, Democracy and Human Rights
Project
http://www.wola.org
This new project of the Washington Office on Latin
America recently produced its first issue brief, "Coca
48 NACIA REPORT ON THE AMERICAS 48 NACIA REPORT ON THE AMERICASRESOURCES
and Conflict in the Chapare:' available on the site.
Other briefs will be produced over the next two years.
The site also contains information on ordering
WOLA's excellent earlier reports on drug-related
issues.
Media Awareness Project Drug News Archive
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/
This is a huge searchable database of drug-related
news clips, mostly from the U.S. press. A good place
to look for the latest coverage of a wide range of sub-
jects from marijuana farming to U.S. intervention in
Colombia.
Foreign Policy in Focus-Drug Control in Focus
http://www.fpif.org/indices/topics/drugs.html
A collection of FPIF reports from a critical, pro-
gressive perspective on drug-related issues. Many
reports concern the Andean region; "Drug Trafficking
and Money Laundering" provides a good overview of
that subject.
NarcoNews Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com/
Web and email newsletter, produced by independent
journalist Al Giordano in the grand muckrakers' tradi-
tion, on the politics and economics of drugs and drug
control. The style is sensationalistic and often hyper-
bolic, but the essence of the reporting is usually on tar-
get and Giordano highlights aspects of the subject
other media ignores.
"Transnational Institute (TNI) "Drugs and Demo-
cracy" Project
http://www.tni.org/drugs/
The site includes a series of "Drugs and Conflict"
debate papers including "A Failed Balance:
Alternative Development and Eradication," a useful
critique of the limitations of alternative development
in the Andes and elsewhere, along with recent brief-
ing papers on drug control in Peru and Bolivia. The
site is also a good source of information about and
critiques of the United Nations' role in drug control.
ENCOD-The European NGO Council on Drugs
and Development
http://www.encod.org/
ENCOD produces a bimonthly email newsletter,
"Drugs and Development" that frequently focuses on
Latin America. Subscribe for free on the site. The
organization also conducts a number of campaigns
including one that promotes dialogue with Latin
American drug crop farmers.
Rand Corporation-Drug Policy Research Center
http://www.rand.org/multi/dprc/
Rand researchers like Peter Reuter were among the
first to quantify various aspects of the drug industry
and to try to measure the results of drug control efforts.
Although their own policy critiques are not always
explicit, their results have often been used to bolster the
arguments of policy critics.
Mama Coca
http://www.mamacoca.org/index_en.htm
This "on-line academic journal on complexity, con-
flict and drugs in the American Region" includes a
number of helpful, and generally critical, articles on the
economics and politics of drug production.
The National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws (NORML)
http://www.norml.org
The library on this site contains the text of NORML
reports on a variety of marijuana-related subjects,
including the economics of marijuana. The site also
includes news on drug law reform efforts and marijuana
research.
