Situating the Local in Global Drug Policy Debates
Historical Overview of Political and Drug Market Developments in Azerbaijan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5710909 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Agathe Sultan (0000-0002-2618-8465, Monash University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 78-91 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Illicit Economies and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2516-7227 • E-ISSN: 2516-7227 |
| Publisher | LSE Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.31389/jied.215 |
| OpenAlex | W4390920415 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
As a post-Soviet, Muslim-majority, and secular state, Azerbaijan has historically stood at the intersection of European and Eastern influences. Among other geopolitical relations, this has affected the use, control, and production of psychoactive drugs, and eventually Azerbaijan’s place in the international drug control system. Located on the Caucasus trafficking route through its Southern border with Iran, the state has maintained an official drug policy of monitoring trafficking in this one region. At the same time, the country’s political regime has ensured a relatively ‘uneventful’ national drug discourse for almost three decades by strictly controlling publicly accessible information and statistics around seizures, prevalence, user population, and public health concerns. Despite its financial strength from oil and gas resources, the state allocates minimal support to harm reduction and other medical and social services for people who use drugs. This gap has historically attracted international donors, but in recent years, most initiatives ceased, and harm reduction programs were discontinued. With more stimulants entering the market and cheaper synthetic alternatives replacing heroin, the need to design more nuanced policies has been exacerbated. This article draws on expert interviews and the developments of the past 30 years since Azerbaijan’s independence from the USSR to offer a historical overview and highlight the current challenges amidst increasing need for local drug policy reforms
Drug · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Law · Medicine · Pharmacology
Azerbaijan’s foreign policy towards Russia since independence
Opioid substitution therapy in Tajikistan
Critiques of harm reduction, morality and the promise of human rights
Rapid assessment on spread of injection drug use related HIV/Aids in Azerbaijan
Post-Soviet Central Asia
Examining the construction and representation of drugs as a policy problem in Australia's National Drug Strategy documents 1985–2010
Implementation of harm reduction in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ The Place and Wellbeing of Young People in Azerbaijan’s Drug Policy
Forging new habits
Perceptions of Health-Related Community Reentry Challenges among Incarcerated Drug Users in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine
The Effects of Corruption on Satisfaction with Local and National Governments. Does Corruption ‘Grease the Wheels’
Back then” and “nowadays
Negotiating welfare with the informalizing state
Revisiting informal payments in 29 transitional countries
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |