UK. 'County Lines' drug supply: Exploiting the young and vulnerable; enriching organised crime
UK. 'County Lines' drug supply: Exploiting the young and vulnerable; enriching organised crime
By prohibiting drugs that are increasingly in demand, an extremely lucrative market has been gifted to organised crime.This briefing exposes the exploitation of young and vulnerable people as a direct result of drug prohibition, through the ‘county lines’ drug supply phenomenon. In regulated markets for legal products, which are bound by strict legal frameworks, there is significantly less opportunity to exploit young and vulnerable people. Legal regulation would allow for governments to regain control over the drugs market, and help force unregulated suppliers out of the business.
‘County lines’ is the term used to describe a drug supply network set up by organised crime groups (OCGs) between urban and suburban locations, typically rural and coastal towns and villages. (Transform, UK, Oktober 2019)
https://transformdrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/County-Lines-Briefing-2019.pdf