Harm reduction as a complex adaptive system: A dynamic framework for analyzing Tanzanian policies concerning heroin use

The International Journal on Drug Policy
Eric A RatliffSheryl A McCurdy

Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, policies on drug use are not always based on scientific evidence or composed in a rational manner. Rather, decisions concerning drug policies reflect the negotiation of actors' ambitions, values, and facts as they organize in different ways around the perceived problems associated with illicit drug use. Drug policy is thus best represented as a complex adaptive system (CAS) that is dynamic, self-organizing, and coevolving. In this analysis, we use a CAS framework to examine how harm reduction emerged around heroin trafficking and use in Tanzania over the past thirty years (1985-present). This account is an organizational ethnography based on of the observant participation of the authors as actors within this system. We review the dynamic history and self-organizing nature of harm reduction, noting how interactions among system actors and components have coevolved with patterns of heroin us, policing, and treatment activities over time. Using a CAS framework, we describe harm reduction as a complex process where ambitions, values, facts, and technologies interact in the Tanzanian sociopolitical environment. We review the dynamic history and self-organizing nature of heroin policies, noting how the int...Continue Reading

References

Sep 30, 2005·Drug and Alcohol Review·Catherine Carstairs
Feb 17, 2006·Journal of Psychoactive Drugs·Robin Room
Jun 14, 2006·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Sheryl A McCurdyMark L Williams
Sep 28, 2006·AIDS and Behavior·Mark L WilliamsMichael W Ross
Aug 11, 2007·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Sheryl McCurdySylvia Kaaya
Oct 22, 2009·AIDS Education and Prevention : Official Publication of the International Society for AIDS Education·Mark L WilliamsM T Leshabari
Jul 20, 2010·Drug and Alcohol Review·Alison Ritter, Gabriele Bammer
Mar 2, 2011·Drug and Alcohol Review·Kari LancasterPaul Dillon
Nov 8, 2011·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Suzanne Fraser, David Moore
Jan 10, 2012·Lancet·Robin Room, Peter Reuter
Jan 25, 2013·Advances in Preventive Medicine·Eric A RatliffGad P Kilonzo
Feb 5, 2014·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Kari Lancaster
Aug 26, 2014·Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma·Austin D Hill
Dec 30, 2014·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Gerry Stimson, Tim Rhodes

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Citations

Mar 22, 2016·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Tim Rhodes, Reychad Abdool
May 14, 2016·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Tim RhodesTom Decorte
Feb 2, 2021·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Teodosio GiacoliniAntonio Alcaro

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