National treatment systems in global perspective

Drug policy development is mostly viewed as emerging within the nation stat e. Processes of diffusion of innovative policies have been neglected to a l arge extent. The comparative study of public policy has demonstrated, howev er, that diffusion is an important predictor of early policy adaptation. Th us, the analysis asks the general question of the relative importance of en dogenous and exogenous effects on the development of drug policies in vario us countries. Specifically it describes the Swiss debate leading to the pop ular initiative on 'Youth Without Drugs' as well as the international react ions regarding its liberal outcome. Results of an expert survey show two br oad types of reactions. There is one set of countries where chances for the introduction of limited heroin-prescription trials during the next 5 years are considered probable and a second set of countries which seems to be st rictly status quo oriented. in the concluding section a model is suggested which systematically considers endogenous as well as exogenous predictors o f 'soft' or 'hard' drug policy adoption. Results of a first tentative test of the model are encouraging for future empirical research on diffusion pro cesses of drug policies.