Does drug criminalization increase harmful drug use? A scoping review of underlying mechanisms

Aims: This article discusses how unintended side effects from the international regime of drug criminalization may serve to increase harmful drug use among some population segments and performs systematic scoping reviews of two putative underlying dynamics relating to violence victimization and the forbidden fruit or psychological reactance effect. If repetitive drug use is commonly a way of coping with psychological and physiological trauma, and such trauma commonly arise as a consequence of violent crime, then an increase in violence resulting from drug criminalization should be expected to entail an increase also in drug dependence. According to the logic of the forbidden fruit dynamic, moreover, the criminalization of certain behaviors may motivate people to engage in these behaviors. Design: Eligible studies were identified via the Pubmed database from its inception to 2023. The review included both qualitative and quantitative findings but was restricted to publications written in English. Results: From 291 records, 94 studies were included. The review found convincing evidence for a victimization dynamic and general support for a psychological tendency to be attracted to behaviors that might be deemed forbidden. Conclusions: While more research is needed, these findings allow for the preliminary conclusion that drug criminalization may increase drug use among some population segments.