Mario Bettati is a professor emeritus in law at the University of Paris-II and a former dean. He was an adviser to Bernard Kouchner (formerly French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs), with whom he initiated and promoted the ‘Right to humanitarian and environmental intervention’. He is notably the author of Le Droit d’ingérence, Le Droit international de l’environnement and Le Terrorisme (2013), which were all published by Editions Odile Jacob.

There have never been so many drug seizures and drug-related convictions, yet drug trafficking remains on the rise. Why? What part does the growth of the drug market and of drug consumption play in this seeming paradox? What can international law enforcement do and how can progress be made on this front?
Reviewing the different types of drugs, the author reveals the impact of the massive increase in sales of synthetic drugs, particularly on the internet. He stresses the complexity of setting up international drug control policies, since these must take into account the prerogatives of different countries (both drug producers and consumers) and deal with the increasingly porous frontier between legal (medical) and illegal drugs.
Besides assessing existing legal measures, he shows how police forces and customs authorities are working together to combat an increasingly multifaceted scourge. He also evokes the experiments that have been carried out all over the world to limit and supervise drug consumption: legalising cannabis, setting up ‘shooting galleries’ (facilities where drug addicts can consume drugs legally).

• An important book for students and professionals (lawyers, police officers, functionaries).
• A complete assessment of the legal and administrative aspects of drug enforcement; an understanding of the organisation of drug rings.
• A study of drug markets, consumption, laws and experiments.