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ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL DRUG POLICY TO BE FOUND IN THE WORLD TODAY IS IN AUSTRALIA. ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES IN THE FORMULATION OF AUSTRALIA'S SUCCESSFUL POLICY WAS THE DECISION IN THE 1950'S TO MAKE A SUPPLY OF LIFE-SAVING DRUGS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL CITIZENS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT BUILDING BLOCK WAS THE PRICE CONTROL MECHANISM ESTABLISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING AND MAINTAINING A HIGH STANDARD IN PHARMACEUTICALS BY SUBSIDIZING ACCESS TO A BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS. HOWEVER, ONE IMPORTANT PROBLEM AREA, NAMELY THE RATIONAL USE OF DRUGS, HAS NOT YET BEEN PROPERLY DEALT WITH. THE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO THIS PROBLEM WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT; THE APPROACHES MUST BE RE-EXAMINED AND SUPPLEMENTED BY CREATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS WHICH WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.

Intro -- DRUG POLICIES, ADDICTION AND ERADICATION -- DRUG POLICIES, ADDICTION AND ERADICATION -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY -- Abstract -- Introduction -- U.S. National Drug Control Strategy -- Agency Roles -- International Drug Control Tools -- Multilateral Cooperation -- Foreign Assistance Sanctions -- "Drug Majors" and the Certificate Process -- Methamphetamine Precursor Chemicals -- Crop Eradiction -- Alternative Development -- Interdiction -- Anti-Money Laundering Efforts -- Extradition -- Institutional Capacity Building -- Legislative Issues for the 111th Congress -- Merida Initiative -- Plan Columbia and the Andean Counterdrug Program -- Afghanistan Counterdrug Programs -- Alternative Policy Approaches -- Rebalance Current Drug Policy Tools -- Emphasize "Hard Side" of Counternarcotics Policy -- Emphasize "Soft Side" of Counternarcotics Policy -- Emphasize Drug Demand Reduction -- Reevaluate Prohibitionist Drug Regime -- Legalize Illegal Drugs -- Decriminalize Illegal Drugs -- Allow Government-Supervised Drug Use for Addicts -- Expand International Criminal Court Jurisdiction -- References -- Chapter 2 U.S. ASSISTANCE HAS HELPED MEXICAN COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORTS, BUT THE FLOW OF ILLICIT DRUGS INTO THE UNITED STATES REMAINS HIGH -- Summary -- Background -- Illicit Drug Production and Trafficking by Mexican Drug Organizations Have Continued Virtually Unabated -- Corruption Persists within the Mexican Government -- Mexican DTOs Control Drug Trafficking in Mexico and Have Extended Their Reach into the United States -- U.S. Assistance Helped Mexico Improve Its Counternarcotics Efforts, but Coordination Can Be Improved -- Extraditions of Mexican Drug Traffickers Have Increased -- Efforts to Counter Money Laundering Are Progressing

After an overview of the current Australian situation, five arguments that are used to justify prohibitionist stances are reviewed. All are shown to be inadequate. The real conditions under which a successful prohibition might be attempted are discussed, and it is shown that these do not exist in Australia at present, at least not as far as some currently illegal drugs are concerned. This paper examines reasons why prohibitionist stances continue to be adopted in the face of their persistent failure, and examines some possible alternatives, without suggesting that any of these are likely to receive serious consideration from politicians involved in formulating policy.

Aim: The objective of this study was to provide an analysis of the factors which have a significant impact on the growth of public expenditure on medical products in Bulgaria.Methods: This research work consists of a critical analysis of the data reported by theNational Health Insurance Fund in Bulgaria on the stability of the healthcare insurance model and the implementation of the budget for 2014.Results: The results from the current analysis indicate that the growth of public expenditure is directly proportional to the number of reimbursed medical products and that the pattern of prescriptions including the innovative medical products mainly for the treatment of oncological and rare diseases has a significant impact on it.Conclusion: The reasons for the increase of public expenditure in Bulgaria include the non-transparent decisions in pricing and reimbursement of the products, the lack of guidelines for presenting pharmacological evidence and the lack of legislatively-defined drug policies for the management and control of the patterns of medical prescriptions.

This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The chapters analyze the specific histories of drug policies in each country, as well as related phenomena and case studies throughout the region. It presents conceptual reflections on the origins of prohibition and the ℓ́ℓWar on Drugs, ℓ́ℓ including the topic of human rights and cognitive freedom. Further, the collection reflects on the pioneering role of some Latin American countries in changing paradigms of international drug policy. Each case study provides an analysis of where each state is now in terms of policy reform within the context of its history and current socio-political circumstances. Concurrently, local movements, initiatives, and backlash against the reformist debate within the hemisphere are examined. The recent changes regarding the regulation of marijuana in the United States and their possible impact on Latin America are also addressed. This work is an important, up-to-date and well-researched reference for all who are interested in drug policy from a Latin American perspective.