This study is led by the Institute for Social Drug Research (ISD, Belgium) in collaboration with colleagues at the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS, Spain). The ISD is part of the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghent. If you would like to know more about the research conducted at the ISD please visit this website.
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THE RESEARCH TEAM
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Prof. Dr. Tom Decorte obtained a Master's degree in Criminology (Catholic University of Leuven, 1992) and the Qualified Teacher's Degree for Secondary Education (Catholic University of Leuven, 1993). He also studied theatre sciences and obtained the Special Certificate in Social and Cultural Anthropology (Catholic University of Leuven, 1994). Since October, 1st 2000 Tom Decorte is appointed professor in the field of criminology, at the Department of Criminology, Penal Law and Social Law of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghent. In September 2002 he founded the Institute for Social Drug Research, a research group that wants to play a prominent part in the social scientific collection and transfer of knowledge regarding different aspects of the use of drugs, drug trafficking and drug policies from a social scientific perspective and a social commitment. Apart from active participation in European and international networks, professor Decorte often gives lectures on different aspects of the drug phenomenon at national and international conferences, guest lectures at Belgian universities, and presentations in schools and other organizations.
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Dr. Mafalda Pardal is a research fellow at the Institute for Social Drug Research, where she is working on a FWO-funded project analysing Cannabis Social Clubs in Belgium. Mafalda holds a PhD degree in Criminology from Ghent University. She is currently a visiting researcher at Universidad Católica del Uruguay. Prior to joining the ISD in March 2015, Ms. Pardal was an analyst at RAND Europe where she co-authored the report ‘Multinational overview of cannabis production regimes’, which describes, among others, the case of Cannabis Social Clubs in Spain, and the Uruguayan legislative reform.
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Òscar Parés has an undergraduate degree in philosophy and anthropology and a Master’s degree in Drug Addiction from the Universidad de Barcelona. He worked for the Government of Catalonia’s Program on Substance Abuse, coordinating night life risk reduction programs and the regulation of Cannabis Social Clubs. Òscar is a founding member of the Drug Policy Unit of the Universitat Autònoma de Bellaterra (UAB). Currently, in his role Deputy Director of the ICEERS Foundation, Òscar promotes educational, drug reform and research projects on Cannabis Social Clubs and is the lead organizer of the World Ayahuasca Conference.
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Dr. Melissa Bone is a lecturer at the University of Leicester in the UK and her research interests are in the areas of Drug Policy and Human Rights Law. She is writing a book based on her PhD thesis; it uses a human rights perspective to change the way in which we think about drug policies. Melissa's publications centre on the religious rights of the Rastafari to consume cannabis and on the heath rights of medicinal cannabis consumers. Melissa is the lead guest editor for a special issue on cannabis cultivation in the Drugs and Alcohol Today journal. The issue will document the efforts of activists in bringing about policy change. Melissa's current research explores whether activist movements, specifically the cannabis social club (CSC) movement, can draw on the framework of human rights to help them achieve their regulatory goals.
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