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The regulation of research by funding bodies : an emerging ethical issue for the alcohol and other drug sector?

journal contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by Peter MillerPeter Miller, D Moore, J Strang
The degree to which funding bodies can and do control the content and dissemination of research products raises important issues which need to be openly debated by the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector. Current policies relating to censorship and other means of controlling research topics or output are explored alongside an examination of how some institutions, particularly some academic journals, deal with such issues. We argue that regulation of research by funding bodies clearly contravenes the scientific ideal of freedom of information and open access to knowledge. Using international ethical guidelines, we also demonstrate that regulation raises concerns in relation to the ethical concept of beneficence. A number of examples specific to harm reduction strategies are presented in order to demonstrate how censorship might conceivably increase the harms associated with drug use. The commentary closes with recommendations concerning the establishment the prevalence of censorship and other forms of control over research in the AOD sector, and the role that ethics committees, journal editorial boards and professional societies might play in resisting the imposition of unacceptable conditions on publication of findings.

History

Journal

International journal of drug policy

Volume

17

Issue

1

Pagination

12 - 16

Publisher

Elesvier

Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

ISSN

0955-3959

eISSN

1873-4758

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2005, Elsevier B.V.

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