Vakgroep Criminologie, Strafrecht en Sociaal Recht

Cannabisproductie in België: evaluatie van de aard en de schadelijkheid en implicaties voor Prioriteitsbepaling (CANMARKT)

Onderzoeksperiode

1 februari 2012 - 31 juli 2013

Financiering

BELSPO

Onderzoeker

Julie HEYDE

Sleutelwoorden

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Abstract

Over the last 30 years, major changes on the supply side of cannabis have occurred. The shift to (inter)regional production, trade and domestic production of cannabis has become an irreversible international trend. Belgium has been catching up with this trend: the number of plantations that have been dismantled by the authorities has increased sharply in recent years. Many of them are indoor operations, located near the Dutch border, set up for commercial purposes. These changes in the organization of the cannabis market raise important questions, in terms of estimating the size of the domestic cultivation industry, in terms of opportunities for new and existing offenders to enter the illegal trade, etc. Furthermore, the rise of domestic or regional cannabis cultivation is associated with heightened levels of criminal organization, involvement of ‘gangs’ and higher levels of violence.
Typologies of cannabis cultivators always include large-scale (commercially oriented) growers on the one hand, and small scale cultivators (‘home growers’ ) on the other, and a grey zone in between (‘social-commercial cultivators’). Little is known about the exact market share and role of these different types of cannabis producers. Perhaps the most pressing policy issues relate to the differential harmfulness of activities within each type of cannabis producers, and the differential impact of the Belgian drug policy on different segments and networks of the cannabis production market.

Doelstelling

This study pursues the following five objectives:

  1. to describe the organization of cannabis production in Belgium,
  2. to create typologies of different types of cannabis producers in Belgium and identify their modi operandi and aims;
  3. to assess the market significance of different types of cannabis producers in Belgium (i.e. market segments);
  4. to estimate the harms associated with different types of producers;
  5. to evaluate the impact of the Belgian drug policy strategies on them.

 

Methodologie

    Two main sets of data collection methods will be used:

    1. A large-scale anonymous, quantitative web survey among Flemish and Walloon small-scale cannabis producers. The basic module of the web survey questionnaire is developed on the basis of earlier exploratory studies on small scale cannabis cultivation, and will simultaneously be used in (independent en nationally funded) web surveys set up in the US, the UK,  Canada, Australia, Denmark and Finland in 2011 and 2012, thus allowing for international comparisons.
    2. An analysis of min. 40 criminal proceedings, at least 20 qualitative interviews with law enforcement officers and other experts and 15 qualitative interviews with imprisoned cannabis producers. We also intend to analyse the data file for all the cases of cannabis production listed in the Organized Crime Database of the Belgian Federal Police during the years 2003-2010.

     

     

    Valorisatie

    • PAOLI, L., DECORTE, T. & KERSTEN, L. (2015). Assessing the harms of cannabis cultivation in Belgium. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(3), 277-289.
    • DECORTE, T. & POTTER, G. (2015). The globalisation of cannabis cultivation: A growing challenge.
      International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(3), 221-225.
    • BARRATT, M., POTTER, G.R., WOUTERS, M., WILKINS, C., WERSE, B., PERALA, J., PEDERSEN, M.M., NGUYEN, H., MALM, A., LENTON, S., KORF, D., KLEIN, A., HEYDE, J., HAKKARAINEN, P., ASMUSSEN, FRANK, V., DECORTE, T., BOUCHARD, M. & BLOK, T. (2015). Lessons from conducting trans-national Internet-mediated participatory research with hidden populations of cannabis cultivators. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(3), 238-249.
    • POTTER, G.R., BARRATT, M., MALM, A., BOUCHARD, M., BLOK, T., CHRISTENSEN, A., DECORTE, T., ASMUSSEN FRANK, V., HAKKARAINEN, P., KLEIN, A., LENTON, S., PERALA, J., WERSE, B. & WOUTERS, M. (2015) Global patterns of domestic cannabis cultivation: sample characteristics and patterns of growing across eleven countries. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(3), 226-237.
    • HAKKARAINEN, P., ASMUSSEN FRANK, V., BARRATT, M.J., VIBEKE DAHL, H., DECORTE, T., KARJALAINEN, K., LENTON, S. & WERSE, B. (2015). Growing medicine: Small-scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes in six different countries. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(3), 250-256.
    • DECORTE, T., PAOLI, L., KERSTEN, L., HEYDE, J., VAN DUN, E., VLAEMYNCK, M. (2014). Cannabis production in Belgium: Assessment of the nature and harms, and implications for priority setting. Gent: Academia Press.
    • DECORTE, T., POTTER, G., BARRATT, M., MALM, A. & LENTON, S. (2013) Global patterns of domestic cannabis cultivation: a cross-national analysis of sample characteristics and patterns of growing. Paper presented at the 7th ISSDP Conference, Bogota (Colombia), 15-17 May.
    • PAOLI, L. & DECORTE, T. (2013). Assessing the harms of cannabis cultivation in Belgium. Paper presented at the 7th ISSDP Conference, Bogota (Colombia), 15-17 May.
    • HAKKARAINEN, P., ASMUSSEN FRANK, V., BARRAT, M., VIBEKE DAHL, H., DECORTE, T. & LENTON, S. (2013). Growing medicine: Small‐scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes in six different countries. Paper presented at the 7th ISSDP Conference, Bogota (Colombia), 15-17 May.
    • ATHEY, N.C., BOUCHARD, M., DECORTE, T., ASMUSSEN FRANK, F. & HAKKARAINEN, P. (2013). Cannabis cultivation and detection: a comparative study of Belgium, Finland and Denmark. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 20(3), 203-215.
    • BARRATT, M., BOUCHARD, M., DECORTE, T., ASMUSSEN FRANK, V. & HAKKARAINEN, P. (2012). Understanding global patterns of domestic cannabis cultivation. Drugs and alcohol today, 12(4), 213-221.