ABSTRACT
Economic analysis is always based on hypotheses about an actor’s behaviour in markets. If drug-addicted consumers react paradoxically to the price signals engendered by public policy, then it is the efficiency of the latter which can be questioned. A question therefore runs through this chapter, what are the consequences for the orientation of public policies on the addictive character of drug consumption? Do drug consumers have control over their choices? Should we consider them, in accordance with the canons of economic theory, as rational individuals making choices that are, certainly, bad for their health, but free choices all the same?
