The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) is a society of scholars committed to advancing drug policy research. The ISSDP’s objectives are to:
- Be a forum for high quality drug policy analysis.
- Develop relations among drug policy analysts and thus strengthen the field.
- Develop the scientific base for policy decisions.
- Improve the interface between researchers and policy makers.
We achieve this through our annual scholarly international conference. This event brings together many of the best known academics in the drug policy field with decision makers and policy-makers. (Details of past conferences are summarised here).
The ISSDP also supports emerging drug policy scholars, through scholarships to attend the annual scientific conference. Scholarships are available for doctoral students and scholars from developing countries and are advertised in the call for papers for each conference.
ISSDP also supports research through the availability of an online bibliography of grey literature relevant to drug policy.
The ISSDP is a membership organisation and we welcome new members. For more information go to the Membership page.
Meetings instigated by the Beckley Foundation in 2004 and 2005, and the inaugural ISSDP conference held in Oslo in 2007, led to the formal establishment of ISSDP as a registered UK charity in 2009. The founding President was Prof Peter Reuter.
Current Trustees
President:
Caitlin Hughes
(Associate Professor in Criminology and Drug Policy, Centre for Crime Policy and Research, Flinders University, Australia)
Vice-President:
Beau Kilmer
(McCauley Chair in Drug Policy Innovation and Co-Director, RAND Drug Policy Research Center, RAND USA)
The other Trustees are:
Rebecca Askew
(Reader in Criminology, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)
John Collins
(Director of Academic Engagement, Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, Austria)
ISSDP Secretary
Karen Joe Laidler
(Professor of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong)
Kari Lancaster
(Associate Professor and Scientia Fellow at the Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Australia)
Gideon Lasco
(Physician and Medical Anthropologist, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, University of the Philippines, Philippines)
Aileen O’Gorman
(Professor of Substance Use and Social Policy and Programme Leader: Contemporary Drug Studies, University of West Scotland, Scotland)
Rosalie Liccardo Pacula
(Professor and Elizabeth Garrett Chair in Health Policy, Economics & Law, Price School of Public Policy and Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health, USA)
Immediate past President
Peter Reuter
(Professor of Criminology at the University of Maryland, USA)
Founding President and ex-officio Board attendant
Liesbeth Vandam
(Head of sector – Support to policy – Public Health Unit, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Portugal)
Previous Presidents
- Rosalie Liccardo Pacula (2019-2023)
- Peter Reuter (2007-2008)
- Alison Ritter (2008-2015)
- Alex Stevens (2016-2019)
Previous Board Members
- Henri Bergeron (2007-2011)
- David Bewley-Taylor (Secretary, 2006-2007)
- Sandeep Chawla (2008-2011)
- Tom Decorte (2015-2019)
- Kawal Deep Kour (2019-2023)
- Michael Farrell (2006)
- Christine Godfrey (2007-2008)
- Keith Humphreys (2007-2008)
- Beau Kilmer (2015-2019)
- Charlie Lloyd (Secretary 2011-2015)
- Alejandro Madrazo (2019-2023)
- Daniel Mejía (2011-2013)
- Mark Monaghan (Secretary 2015-2018)
- Börje Olsson (2009-2013)
- Letizia Paoli (Vice President, 2011-2015)
- Rosario Quierolo (2019-2023)
- Alison Ritter (2006-2019, President 2008-2015)
- Pia Rosenqvist (2006-2011)
- Nicola Singleton
- Tomáš Zábranský (2009-2013)