Background:Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)) has a relatively low harm and low dependence liability but is scheduled on List I of the Dutch Opium Act (‘hard drugs’). Concerns surrounding increasing MDMA-related criminality coupled with the possibly inappropriate scheduling of MDMA initiated a debate to revise the current Dutch ecstasy policy.Methods:An interdisciplinary group of 18 experts on health, social harms and drug criminality and law enforcement reformulated the science-based Dutch MDMA policy using multi-decision multi-criterion decision analysis (MD-MCDA). The experts collectively formulated policy instruments and rated their effects on 25 outcome criteria, including health, criminality, law enforcement and financial issues, thematically grouped in six clusters.Results:The experts scored the effect of 22 policy instruments, each with between two and seven different mutually exclusive options, on 25 outcome criteria. The optimal policy model was defined by the set of 22 policy instrument options which gave the highest overall score on the 25 outcome criteria. Implementation of the optimal policy model, including regulated MDMA sales, decreases health harms, MDMA-related organised crime and environmental damage, as well as increases state revenues and quality of MDMA products and user information. This model was slightly modified to increase its political feasibility. Sensitivity analyses showed that the outcomes of the current MD-MCDA are robust and independent of variability in weight values.Conclusion:The present results provide a feasible and realistic set of policy instrument options to revise the legislation towards a rational MDMA policy that is likely to reduce both adverse (public) health risks and MDMA-related criminal burden.
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De term criminele inmenging is reeds onderdeel van het maatschappelijk en criminologisch discours, maar binnen de academische literatuur niet gedefinieerd en geconceptualiseerd. Bij criminele inmenging maken criminele organisaties gebruik van bonafide bedrijven voor de facilitering van criminele bedrijfsprocessen. We introduceren een definitie op basis van empirisch onderzoek en onderscheiden hierbinnen drie vormen hoe bonafide bedrijven als facilitator kunnen optreden. Dit schijnt zowel licht op de vehikelfunctie van ondernemingen als op manieren waarop criminele organisaties die vehikelfunctie aanwenden. Door te illustreren hoe verweving plaatsvindt, hopen we handvatten te bieden om ongewenste verwevenheid te voorkomen.English: Summary:While not a new phenomenon, research on criminal intrusion in (small) businesses is often focussed on the perspective of the criminal, reconstructed after a crime has taken place. In this article we add the perspective of the entrepreneur from the moment he/she is confronted with early signs of possible criminal intrusion. Firstly, we introduce a definition of criminal intrusion, based on 18 cases of (attempted) criminal intrusion in small business: The process by which an actor of a criminal organization turns to and associates with a bona fide corporation, making that corporation a facilitator of criminal business process without its deliberate intent. Secondly, we distinguish three (not necessarily limitative) main practices on how this facilitation of crime takes place within the scope of criminal intrusion in bona fide businesses: 1) a transactional model, which focusses on an exchange of products or services between criminal organizations and businesses; 2) a parasitic relationship where operational processes are abused for criminal gains, and 3) infiltration, in which targeted infiltration, corruption of employees or ‘criminal investment’ takes place to gain a foothold within the business. By introducing a theoretical framework for the categorisation of cases, we hope to further develop the possibilities of (criminological) analysis of criminal intrusion, while simultaneously provide small business owners insights to strengthen their resilience against organised crime.
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Being a hub and a hotspot for many people from all over the world means that new dynamics have entered Amsterdam and other cities in the last few years. Money flows pass through the city, and we often do not know anymore whose money this is, where it comes from or where it goes. At the same time, the development of cryptocurrencies and parallel money cultures all contribute to the opaqueness of the future of the financial world.To better understand the current dynamics that will affect our financial future, the City of Amsterdam has taken the initiative to organize an international conference in collaboration with the Institute of Network Cultures from the Amsterdam University of Applied Science: Flying Money – Investigating illicit Financial Flows in the City.This publication contains the results of the conference, along with relevant academic and other articles ensuing from the conference.
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