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Analysis of harm reduction and prohibition measures and their effects led to identification of the essential properties of measures capable of controlling the drug/crime epidemic, and these essential properties served as principles guiding the design of interposition.
Central Concepts The central strategic concept of market interposition is that
the drug/crime epidemic can be controlled by interrupting the
mutual stimulation between the demand and supply sides of the
black market. The demand side stimulates the supply side when
drugs users purchase drugs at highly profitable black market prices;
and the supply side stimulates demand when drug suppliers promote
drug use to increase drug sales. Market interposition interrupts
this mutual stimulation by altering the incentive system that
influences the behavior of users and suppliers.
Interposition is implemented by a public health agency, the Agency
for Drug Market Interposition (ADMI). This agency is authorized
to supply the drug needs of all drug users. Interposition takes
effect incrementally, as individual drug users decide to stop
buying from the retail merchants of the crime syndicates to become
clients of the ADMI. Drug users choose to become clients of the
ADMI in pursuit of their own self interest. The necessary motivation
is provided by interposition's strategic tools.
Strategic Tools of Market Interposition The strategic tools of interposition are generalized public health
measures. I mean by the term "generalized" that these tools can
be implemented in a variety of ways. We must concern ourselves
now only with the general properties and functions of these tools,
rather than with specific alternative modes of implementation.
To this date, eight strategic tools have been identified. The
inventory is as follows:
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1) ADMI preemption of the drug supply function. 2) Licensed drug use. 3) Price/quality competition. 4) Two-tiered price policy. 5) Voluntary treatment: (such as maintenance dosage, substitute dosage,
interruption therapy, detoxification, cessation therapy). 6) Drug user education and counseling. 7) Anti-drug education. 8) Negative advertising against drugs and drug use. |
ADMI preemption of the drug supply functionmeans that the Agency is to push the black-market traffickers
out of the market in commercial competition. When ADMI serves
drug user demand, this public health agency will be in daily face-to-face
contact with drug users--an excellent position to serve their
health needs and influence their behavior.
Licensed drug use enables drug users to use ADMI drugs conditionally exempt from
the drug laws. The terms of license must be lenient enough that
drug users will prefer ADMI as their drug source. That condition
is fully compatible with the public interest in safety and harm
reduction. Licensed drug use must be confined within the limits
of public tolerance; and nonusers must not be exposed to drugs
and the drug culture.