Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor: Berger, Marcos (Mark T.). Second Reader: Simons, Anna. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 29, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Illegal drug trade, drug-related violence, drug cartels, Mexico, supply reduction, harm reduction. Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-104). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [141]-148).

The abuse of narcotic drugs is an international problem in almost every respect, and as such requires international solutions. This thesis deals with both these questions. Since the last century, when the Sino-Indian opium trade thrived, the international trade in drugs has been of concern to the international community. After an introduction to the various types of narcotics and their properties, the history of drugs is reviewed, specifically with an eye to determining the factors which led to the creation of the international anti-narcotics movement. The international conferences on this subject, beginning with the Shanghai Opium Commission of 1909 and the Hague Opium Conferences several years later, were plagued with difficulties and conflicting objectives among the participants. The narcotics diplomacy which preceded the Second World War paved the way for current international action, but it also illustrated the problems inherent in international regulation. The modern drug problem, chiefly the abuse of heroin, is studiad and seen to be even more global than was the pre-World War II narcotics trade. The involvement of a greater number of states, both directly and indirectly, in the illicit drug traffic has been a stimulus to more vigorous international controls, but at the same time it has proved more difficult to enforce existing agreements throughout the international system. To an extent these difficulties can be attributed to the nature of the problem itself, as well as to conditions existing in a number of states, but essentially it would seem that the illicit narcotics trade continues to flourish because of the nature of the international system in which it operates. Thus a paradox can be seen the drug problem cannot be solved on a purely national level and hence international solutions must be adopted, but these solutions are also fated to face obstacles from the very start. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.M.A.S. in General Studies)--U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 2009. / "AD-A512 383." Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

It has commonly been argued that drugs have been securitized, however relatively little in-depth analysis has been carried out on this subject. This thesis addresses this gap in the literature by using a combination of Foucault’s concept of the dispositif and a sociological interpretation of securitization theory to examine how drugs have become constructed as existentially threatening to humankind and the state by the United Nations (UN) and the United States of America (US). The two securitizations analysed here -the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (Single Convention) and US President Reagan’s 1986 National Security Decision Directive 221 (NSDD-221) -took place within the wider historical context of a control-oriented dispositif, it is argued,but also re-shaped the international drug control system and the drug control dispositif in profound ways. The thesis concludes that the drug control dispositif has continued to evolve through time and across space, and that the securitization of drugs by the US and UN has limited the range of options available within international and domestic drug policies, often exacerbating the harms to humans and the state –the very referent objects that these securitizations aim to protect. Discourse analysis of archival documents from the British National Archives, the US National Archives and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum,and process-tracing of media sources are used to examine the ways in which drugs became securitized and how these securitizations affected the drug control dispositif. In order to understand the context in which the securitization(s) of drugs occurred, this thesis firstly identifies the various forms of control that were used during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It then analyses how the Single Convention and NSDD-221 established drugs as being threatening to humankind and the state through securitizing speech acts and non-discursive practices and how these securitizations re-oriented the drug control dispositif towards a prohibitionist paradigm. Finally, this thesis explores how various discourses and practices are challenging the ‘drugs as a threat’ discourse but still sit firmly within the drug control dispositif.

Sociological literature on law enforcement discretion in drug related offences has been sparse with practically no similar research conducted in Hong Kong. This study therefore contributes to the comparative literature by exploring factors affecting customs officers’ decision to make dangerous drug arrests. Quantitative analyses were conducted to understand the importance of organizational and individual variables to an officer’s arrest behavior. Furthermore, officer’s interpretation of indirect factors was derived from in-depth interviews. Results showed that most officers were inclined to make arrests when in a team and on duty, indicating that individuals behaved relative to significant others as shown in previous academic studies. Additional remuneration (by time-off or pay) was an incentive to arrest. Furthermore, the legality of the arrest decision (a factor identified in previous research) was found in this study to be more important than obeying superior’s orders. Even where officers lacked practical experience in handling dangerous drugs offences, they were more willing to arrest than without supplementary remuneration. Only a minority of officers reported that they would make an arrest when off duty, or when in a non-drug enforcement post, in line with earlier researches. Where officers were alone, they tended to abstain from arresting, which demonstrated the lesser importance of generalized others in arrest decisions. As with other researches, where there was a risk of disciplinary punishment, fewer officers made an arrest to the majority. In terms of individual factors, officers with experience in drug investigation became less risk averse and more inclined to arrest regardless of supplementary remuneration, when on duty and where they themselves had no practical experience in handling drug cases. As proposed by earlier research, socialization appeared an important influence on discretion in this study. The positive impact of higher education on officer motivation to make arrests regardless of remuneration terms corresponds to findings by other scholars. Furthermore, officers with specialized training were more willing to arrest when on duty and alone, supporting studies on qualifications. Officers in the promotional ranks had a higher tendency to make arrests under conditions without supplementary remuneration, when they were on duty and alone, and when in a non-drug enforcement post (together with officers in the rank of Customs Officers for the latter). However, officers’ tendency to arrest decreased over length of service regardless of team influence, where they had not acquired arrest skills. This endorsed findings from other studies that motivation decreased over time. This study showed that team dynamics and exposure in drug investigation were the most important organizational and individual factors correlating positively with customs officers’ discretion to make dangerous drug arrests. / published_or_final_version / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Anna Simons, George Lober. Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-64). Also available online.

Thesis (LL. M.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Law. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-168). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ56200.