demand reduction
{{Short description|Efforts to reduce demand for illegal drugs}}
{{also|Harm reduction|Supply reduction}}
Demand reduction refers to efforts aimed at reducing the public desire for illegal and illicit drugs. The drug policy is in contrast to the reduction of drug supply, but the two policies are often implemented together. Some discussions of demand reduction make a distinction between policies that address single issues (such as public "knowledge-of-harms") or are short-term interventions(in-school programs), and those that approach drug demand as a complex issue with multiple social risk factors.{{cite book|last1=Spooner|first1=Catherine|last2=Hall|first2=Wayne|last3=Lynskey|first3=Michael|title=Structural determinants of youth drug use|date=2001|publisher=Australian National Council on Drugs|location=Tuross Head, N.S.W.|isbn=1877018015|url=http://www.ancd.org.au/images/PDF/Researchpapers/rp2_youth_drug_use.pdf|access-date=16 January 2015}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Some economists such as Milton Friedman argue that due to the law of supply and demand, reducing demand is the only effective way to reduce drug use long-term.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} It is questionable, however, whether demand reduction programs actually reduce demand.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
Implementation examples
In September 2011, Canada implemented new color graphic depictions of the consequences of smoking, mandating that they cover 75% of the front and back of each carton, health information messages on the inside of the pack, and toxic emissions statements.{{cite web|title=Government of Canada Acts to Strengthen and Enlarge Health Warnings on Cigarette and Little Cigar Packages|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/_2011/2011_27-eng.php|website=Health Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=16 January 2015|date=18 February 2011}} Each tobacco product features one such image from a series, which includes people dying in hospitals, rotting mouths, and dissected body parts depicting tumors, along with simple bold messages stating that cigarettes cause cancer, mouth disease, impotence, and harm babies.{{cite web|title=Health Labels for Cigarettes and Little Cigars|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac-tabac/legislation/label-etiquette/cigarette-eng.php|website=Health Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=16 January 2015|date=12 Dec 2011}} International research supports the efficacy of such warning messages.{{cite journal|last1=Fong|first1=Geoffrey T.|last2=Hammond|first2=David|last3=Hitchman|first3=Sara C.|title=The impact of pictures on the effectiveness of tobacco warnings|url=https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/8/09-069575/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115043400/http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/8/09-069575/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2010|journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization|access-date=16 January 2015|doi=10.2471/BLT.09.069575|date=2009|volume=87|issue=8 |pages=640–643|pmc=2733253|pmid=19705020}}
Other examples of demand reduction programs include D.A.R.E., the State of Montana's Not Even Once.,{{cite news|last1=Beale|first1=Jonathan|title=Montana meth ads winning drug battle|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7576275.stm|access-date=16 January 2015|work=BBC News|date=22 August 2008}} and the drug policy of Sweden.{{cite web|last1=Lafrenière|first1=Gérald|title=National Drug Policy: Sweden|url=https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/371/ille/library/gerald-e.htm|website=Library of Parliament|publisher=Parliament of Canada|access-date=16 January 2015|date=18 April 2002}}