Analysis of Public Policy Processes in Multiple Streams Framework and Advocacy Coalition Framework: Is Canada's Decriminalization Policy for Drugs Reasonable?

Abstract

This paper analyzes the rationale for Canada's drug decriminalization policy through the multiple streams framework (MSF) and the advocacy coalition framework (ACF). Canada attempts to decriminalize small amounts of drug possession in response to the growing opioid crisis. This paper also uses MSF to explain how the problem stream, policy stream, and political stream have created a policy window for the introduction of drug decriminalization policies, while ACF reveals the conflicting beliefs of different advocacy coalitions and their important roles in policy evolution. The analysis shows that MSF is more suitable for explaining the timing and dynamics of drug decriminalization policy changes in Canada, while ACF is more useful for understanding the belief systems of different interest groups and the conflicts and interactions between coalitions. Two theoretical frameworks provide a comprehensive perspective on the complex policy process behind Canada's drug decriminalization policy.