MDLE report 3 - Applying harm reduction principles to the policing of retail drug markets

Modernising drug law enforcement - Report 3

The policing of drug markets is usually conceptualised primarily as a matter of law enforcement – drug dealers and people who use drugs are breaking the law, and the role of the police is to reduce such law breaking. However, the wider purpose of policing is to ensure the safety of the community by reducing harms to its members.

This report examines the interaction between law enforcement and harm reduction in the policing of retail level drug markets.

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