Sponsoring Section/Society: ASA Business & Economics,
ASA Health Policy Statistics, and ASA Committee on National
& International Security
Session Slot: 2:00- 3:50 Tuesday
Estimated Audience Size: 75-125
AudioVisual Request: any?
Session Title: Assessment of Drug Interdiction Activities
Theme Session: Yes
Applied Session: Yes
Session Organizer: Fries, Arthur Institute for Defense Analyses
Address: IDA, 1801 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: (703) 845-2364
Fax: (703) 845-2274
Email: afries@ida.org
Session Timing: 110 minutes total (Sorry about format):
4 speakers Opening Remarks by Chair - 3 minutes First Speaker - 25 minutes Second Speaker - 25 minutes Third Speaker - 25 minutes Fourth Speaker - 25 minutes Floor Discussion - 7 minutes
Session Chair: Spruill, Nancy Office of the Secretary of Defense
Address: Deputy Director, Acquisition Resources Room 1E474 Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310
Phone: (703) 693-2982
Fax: (703) 695-2086
Email: spruilnl@acq.osd.mil
1. NRC Study-Information and Research for Drug Abuse Policy
Thomas, Yonette, National Research Council
Address: Committee on Law and Justice HA156L National Research Council 2101 Constitution Ave. NW Washington DC 20418
Phone: (202) 334-1702
Fax: (202) 334-3829
Email: ythomas@nas.edu
Abstract: The National Research Council has begun a 30-month study entitled: ``Data and Research for Policy on Illegal Drugs,'' sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The study will focus on resolving conflicts among existing cost-effectiveness studies that cut across interdiction, enforcement, treatment, and on specifying the data and research required for improved policy studies to assess the effectiveness of various drug control strategies. The study is expected to identify information that can stimulate the development of both new data collection systems and advanced models that can respond to changing policy analysis needs. This talk will describe the study committee's task and provide an update on the study efforts to date.
2. The Need for More Drug War Statistics
Fries, Arthur, Institute for Defense Analyses
Address: IDA, 1801 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: (703) 845-2364
Fax: (703) 845-2274
Email: afries@ida.org
Charles, Robert, House Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice
Abstract: We will address: (1) the rising importance of interdiction in the context of US Drug Policy, as increasingly framed by Congress and the Executive (in historical context); (2) the promise of simultaneously marrying stronger intelligence with a more robust maritime, border and source country interdiction effort; and (3) the need for accurate data collection in order to both make interdiction more effective and assure greater overall accountability.
3. Models Versus Data
Rivolo, Rex, Institute for Defense Analyses
Address: IDA, 1801 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: (703) 845-6760
Fax: (703) 845-2274
Email: arivolo@ida.org
Abstract: We provide a historical outline of research in the field of illegal drug use, treatment, and prevention, with a focus on recent published reports that have played major roles in the development of national and international drug interdiction policies. Reported results and conclusions from this body of research are shown to suffer from fundamental analysis flaws and to be inconsistent with empirical evidence. In particular, specifications of predetermined models appear to dominate over straightforward data presentations and summaries.
4. Variation in the Optimal Mix of Drug Control Interventions over the Course of a Drug Epidemic
Caulkins, Jonathan, Carnegie Mellon University
Address: Carnegie Mellon University, The Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, Pittsburgh PA 15213
Phone: (412) 268-3840
Fax: (412) 268-7036
Email: caulkins+@andrew.cmu.edu
Feichtinger, Gustav, Vienna University of Technology
Tragler, Gernot, Vienna University of Technology
Behrens, Doris, Vienna University of Technology
Haunschmied, Josef, Vienna University of Technology
Abstract: There is considerable interest in what the optimal mix of drug control interventions is, but to date most work has not explicitly acknowledged the epidemic character of waves of drug use or the possibility that the optimal mix of interventions should change over time. This paper applies optimal control theory to some very simple models of drug epidemics to produce insights into this important policy problem.
List of speakers who are nonmembers: Thomas, Rivolo, Caulkins