Measuring and monitoring drug policy for research, surveillance and practice

There is considerable interest to learn from the experience of various drug policies in different nations, but our ability to do so – as researchers, policy makers and regulators – depends critically on an accurate understanding of how specific drug policies in different jurisdictions actually differ. This session will bring together two prominent scholars and developers of drug policy data systems – ELDD and PDAPS – who can educate the audience on the origins of these data systems, the information contained within them, and how important it is to really understand the details contained within them. The standardization of different policies is key to the development of these sorts of databases, so the final half hour of the panel will be spent in a moderated discussion between the audience and the researchers discussing which core details of these systems are necessary for others to consider if interested in developing similar systems for research and surveillance in other regions.