This master’s thesis deals with the issue of drug markets and drug policies in different EU countries. The aim of this thesis is to comprehensively compare and evaluate the drug policies of selected EU countries over a given timeframe, considering the potential adverse effects of changes in drug policy, based on available data in the area of strategic plans and national economic indicators in the field of illicit drugs. In the theoretical part, the thesis discusses economic theories of addiction... zobrazit celý abstraktThis master’s thesis deals with the issue of drug markets and drug policies in different EU countries. The aim of this thesis is to comprehensively compare and evaluate the drug policies of selected EU countries over a given timeframe, considering the potential adverse effects of changes in drug policy, based on available data in the area of strategic plans and national economic indicators in the field of illicit drugs. In the theoretical part, the thesis discusses economic theories of addiction to clarify the consumption of addictive substances, economic theories associated with illegal markets and drugs themselves, as well as the principle and categorization of drug policy models based on their objectives and instruments. Based on the categorisation of drug policy models from the theoretical part, the practical part analyses and compares the national economic impacts of EU countries' drug policies in the social, health and criminal dimensions, considering the budgetary burden of the policies in a given timeframe. The results of the comparison show that obsessive efforts to influence the supply side of drug markets do not lead to the elimination of drugs from the market and, moreover, this puts a strain on the budgets of the countries concerned. At the same time, these countries also struggle the most with the public health impacts on their citizens. The analysis shows that more relaxed drug policies make practical sense. |