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Abstract
This paper addresses three types of drug policies: drug laws, drug prevention strategies, and drug treatment strategies that might be used to improve drug policies. For each of these three categories, the paper discusses what criminological research tells us about the best practices. Research suggests that drug abuse prevention and treatment have statistically and clinically significant effects. The terms ‘prevention’ and ‘treatment’ are, however, often used indiscriminately and with reference to many different concepts. To assume that everything that is called prevention or treatment is effective would be foolish: not every drug prevention program is effective; not every treatment program has an effect in terms of reducing recidivism. Research has made it possible to identify successful prevention and treatment programs for drug abusers. However, the programs that research would suggest are not always those chosen by practitioners or widely funded by policymakers.