Abstract
International drug control has chalked up an impressive record of policy failure, yet it continues to intensify its provisions and expand its remit. This idiosyncrasy is best understood by regarding drug control as a system with separate, but linked elements dedicated to maintaining itself. Inherent to the system is an ideology which is derived from and supported by ‘scientific truths’. The survival of the regime depends on the active support of professional groups that benefit from the regime and are its chief proponents.