An analysis of scope, topics, methods and categories of drug policy research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy

The chosen operational definition forecloses and stabilises drug policy research as a particular field of practice, with associated topics and methods. It circumscribes it to around 34 % of publications in IJDP over 2023 and 2024. If another journal (or dataset of drug research) was chosen, it may be larger or smaller and with differing primary topics and methods as well as spread across categories of policy research. Perhaps more importantly however, we highlight that 'drug policy research' can be made otherwise - discussing three alternative conceptualisations: as research that aims to inform policy, as street-level implementation, or as policy ecology - each of which boundary 'drug policy research' differently.