Evaluating drug law enforcement interventions directed towards methamphetamine in Australia

This report presents a preliminary analysis comparing the costs and impacts different types of law enforcement have on methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine belongs in the class of stimulant drugs referred to as Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS). The category of ATS includes ecstasy, amphetamine and methamphetamine. This research project concerned itself with the amphetamine and methamphetamine class and excluded ecstasy (and henceforth we use the generic term methamphetamine). In Australia, methamphetamine is available in three forms—powder, base and crystal. Methamphetamine is associated with significant harms and is an important drug policy priority. The National Amphetamine-Type Stimulants Strategy (2008–2011) articulates the following priority areas in relation to methamphetamine: improve community awareness and understanding of amphetamine-type stimulant use and related problems; reduce the supply of amphetamine-type stimulants; develop specific strategies to prevent and reduce amphetamine type stimulant use; and develop organisational and system capacity to prevent and respond to amphetamine-type stimulant problems This research concerns the second priority area—reducing the supply of methamphetamine. The specific aims of the research were twofold: to provide a rich description of the Australian methamphetamine supply chains in order to inform drug law enforcement interventions; and to conduct an initial economic evaluation comparing law enforcement interventions directed at the methamphetamine market. The work focused on the methamphetamine market(s) and supply chains in Australia above the retail level. Previous research has examined retail methamphetamine markets in Australia. Governments and policymakers are interested in determining which interventions are more or less effective than others, such that the scarce funding resources can be allocated in the most efficient manner possible. There is scant research available to law enforcement to guide such decisions. The main impediments to such research are the fundamental methodological challenges inherent in such an undertaking. This project is an attempt to conduct a preliminary analysis comparing the costs and impacts of different types of law enforcement. It is a ground-breaking study as this has not been previously attempted and it should be seen as the initial development of a methodological approach that can be improved upon with subsequent research. The project aimed to determine the relative cost-to-impact ratios of different law enforcement strategies aimed at reducing methamphetamine production and distribution. In an environment focused on efficiency in resource allocation, it is hoped that this research will provide the impetus for further research on the effectiveness of drug law enforcement. As the results of such research accumulate, it is hoped that policymakers will be able to use the information to improve decision making on law enforcement investment

Maximum Carbon Intensity Limitations and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Emission of greenhouse gases is a global problem. Any nation seeking to restrict such emissions by its manufacturers should avoid putting them at a disadvantage in world and domestic markets where they are likely to compete with producers that do not bear the cost of emission controls. One approach being considered in the United States would be adoption of technical regulations limiting the carbon intensity of basic products, such as cement, aluminum, steel, etc., offered for sale in the US market (carbon intensity would be defined as the C02 equivalent emissions per ton of product). Domestic and imported products that exceed the regulation limit could not be sold in US commerce, except pursuant to exceptions that would be available on a national treatment basis. Technical regulations would be based on the quantity of carbon equivalent gases emitted in the production of a unit of product, such as a ton of steel. The regulations would set a numerical limit on carbon intensity; would set discrete limits for different products and types of manufacture; would require auditable facility measurement but could allow compliance on an average company-wide basis; and would be tightened over time to encourage new technologies. However, there would be no requirement for the adoption of specific technologies. The article will analyze the validity of such regulations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement).\u27 The preamble to the TBT Agreement recognizes that no country should be prevented from taking measures necessary ..fo.r the protection of human, animal or plant life or health, [or] of the environment ..a.t the levels it considers appropriate In addition, TBT Agreement Article 2.2 includes protection of human health or safety ..o.r the environment as legitimate objectives of technical regulations. The article will examine whether a maximum carbon emission limit would be a [t/echnical regulation\u27 as defined by the TBT Agreement Annex i.i, taking into account the WTO Appellate Body statement that characteristics subject to regulation are not limited to qualities intrinsic to the product itself Consideration will also be given to the TBTAgreement requirement that technical regulations should not be applied so as to create unnecessary obstacles to trade. Finally, there will be an evaluation of the application of Article III of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)2 to measures that qualify as technical regulations

Reflection on Exclusivity and Termination of Commercial Agency in Jordan: TheIntertwining of Domestic Regulation and International Trade Law

Any foreign manufacturer desiring to market its products in Jordan has several courses open to it. The foreign manufacturer could establish a branch or wholly-owned subsidiary in Jordan or enter into a licensing or joint venture agreement with a company doing business in Jordan. If it wants a less significant presence, however, it is left with the alternative of having a local commercial agent market and sells its products. The purpose of this article is to study certain aspects-exclusivity and termination- of commercial agency according to the Jordanian law. The article is divided into four sections. Section two explains the general rules governing commercial agency in Jordan. Section three analyzes exclusivity of commercial agents. This section introduces the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the basic instrument covering trade in services, and analyses the current commercial agencies regulation in Jordan and its relation to articles VIII and IX of GATS. Also, section two explores Jordan schedule of specific commitments under the GATS in order to shed light on the extent and limit of its obligations with regard to commercial agents. Section four discusses agency termination. Finally, the article concludes by summarizing the mai

The Economics of Secondhand Retail Trade: An Analysis of the Market for Ukay-ukay

In recent years, the market for secondhand garments has flourished from its considered capital, Baguio City, province of Benguet. It is clear that people see this market as an alternative to counterpart goods burdened with soaring prices; however, with the invocation of laws that prohibit importation and sale of secondhand garments, consumers of such commodity have different reactions and suggest alternative solutions so as not to be affected negatively (in terms of the economic dimensions of their lives). This paper tries to look at these issues by quantifying consumer surplus in this market and estimating the market demand. Such will then give some overview of the dynamics of such commodities' consumers and suppliers.retail market, secondhand retail market, ukay-ukay, consumer surplus

Structure of the atypical bacteriocin pectocin M2 implies a novel mechanism of protein uptake

The colicin-like bacteriocins are potent protein antibiotics that have evolved to efficiently cross the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria by parasitizing nutrient uptake systems. We have structurally characterized the colicin M-like bacteriocin, pectocin M2, which is active against strains of Pectobacterium spp. This unusual bacteriocin lacks the intrinsically unstructured translocation domain that usually mediates translocation of these bacteriocins across the outer membrane, containing only a single globular ferredoxin domain connected to its cytotoxic domain by a flexible α-helix, which allows it to adopt two distinct conformations in solution. The ferredoxin domain of pectocin M2 is homologous to plant ferredoxins and allows pectocin M2 to parasitize a system utilized by Pectobacterium to obtain iron during infection of plants. Furthermore, we identify a novel ferredoxin-containing bacteriocin pectocin P, which possesses a cytotoxic domain homologous to lysozyme, illustrating that the ferredoxin domain acts as a generic delivery module for cytotoxic domains in Pectobacterium

The Economics of Secondhand Retail Trade: An Analysis of the Market for Ukay-ukay

In recent years, the market for secondhand garments has flourished from its considered capital, Baguio City, province of Benguet. It is clear that people see this market as an alternative to counterpart goods burdened with soaring prices; however, with the invocation of laws that prohibit importation and sale of secondhand garments, consumers of such commodity have different reactions and suggest alternative solutions so as not to be affected negatively (in terms of the economic dimensions of their lives). This paper tries to look at these issues by quantifying consumer surplus in this market and estimating the market demand. Such will then give some overview of the dynamics of such commodities' consumers and suppliers.retail market, secondhand retail market, ukay-ukay, consumer surplus

Gains from Trade in Used Goods: Evidence from the Global Market for Automobiles

This paper investigates the welfare effects of trade liberalization by exploiting a natural policy experiment in the small open economy of Cyprus. A 1993 law relaxed import restrictions on used vehicles and facilitated the flow of used Japanese vehicles into the country. This led to a dramatic shift of consumer purchases from new to used cars and a substantial expansion of the overall market. Estimated welfare gains are of the order of several hundred dollars per purchaser. The findings are indicative of the potential for substantial gains from liberalizing trade in used goods, which could also alter trade flows and productionautomobile industry, differentiated products, gains from trade, used goods, trade liberalization

Targeting the profits of illicit drug trafficking through proceeds of crime action

This study sought to identify the disruptive effect of proceeds of crime action on criminal activity, and to identify factors associated with successful proceeds of crime action. Executive summary Illicit drug trafficking is a source of funds for further trafficking and for supporting the lifestyles of criminals. Drug trafficking has been closely linked with organised crime and with social harms. This project had two main aims: • To identify the disruptive effect of proceeds of crime action on criminal activity. The project attempted to measure the disruptive effect by developing an economic model that estimated the multiplier impact of the reinvestment of the profits of drug trafficking. • The project also attempted to identify factors associated with successful proceeds of crime action. There are two main audiences for the findings of this study. Senior police, police intelligence, policymakers and researchers will be interested primarily in measuring the disruptive effect of proceeds of crime action. Police responsible for managing proceeds of crime investigations and senior investigators will be interested in the practical applications of findings relating to success factors in financial investigations. The results of the project should improve agencies’ ability to target trafficking and increase the seizure of proceeds of crime. The proposed index of the disruptive effect of proceeds of crime action—the Proceeds of Crime Drug Disruption Index (POCDDI)—will also allow agencies to provide both the Government and the community with a more accurate assessment of the value of their proceeds of crime initiatives