What works in drug abuse epidemiology in Europe

This paper discusses what works and what does not work in drug abuse epidemiology in Europe. Given the tradition in European countries of defining the drug abuse problem in terms of social and medical interventions, epidemiological research is also tied to these interventions, and consequently to community-based research. What seems not to work, and what is generally suspect are grand legal designs to solve the drug problem. Promising initiatives are going towards a compromise between a relaxation of legal sanctions but a tendency away from legalization. What is recommended is striving towards a more analytic and multidisciplinary epidemiology that can help society critically evaluate the truth-value of its moral prerogatives.