On writing a white paper on drug policy

Abstract

In February 1997, the Norwegian government presented a white paper to Stortinget (the Norwegian Parliament) on drug policy. Two quite different aspects related to the white paper are discussed in this article—and more questions are raised than will be answered. First, to what degree has a country with a restrictive drug policy—such as Norway—political leeway to “soften” drug policy measures without this being interpreted as a signal that the authorities have given up the fight? Do politicians necessarily believe in their defense of a strict drug policy, or do they feel forced to defend the existing policy? Second, what about role conflicts when a person normally working as a researcher is engaged by a ministry to take part in the production of a white paper on drug policy? To what extent can a researcher expect to have any influence on the political content?