Throughout Europe from town halls and regional governments, through national
Parliaments and ministries, to the high institutions of the
European Union there runs a vigorous debate on organised crime, municipal safety and private conduct. Drug problems and what to do about them so often sit at the intersection of these debates. As for legal responses, throughout the 1990s the focus of attention has been primarily on the
criminal law. New criminal offenses have been created, partly in response to influences `from above' (from international and European agreements) and partly in response to pressure `from below' (concerns of citizens at national and sub-national levels). But although criminal…
