Controlling Drug Abuse and Crime: A Research Update

Drug testing in Washinton, D.C., and New York City has shown that the majority of arrestees have used drugs and that multiple drug use is common. Drug abuse has also been shown to be one of the best indicators of serious criminal careers. Other research is examining strategies for disrupting drug distribution networks, the use of mandatory drug testing for pretrial release, techniques for hair analysis, the forecasting of national drug consumption patterns, the effects of a program to train young children to resist offers to try drugs, and the impacts of treatment programs. The Drug Abuse Act of 1986 strengthens penalties for Federal drug-related offenses and provides funding to strengthen prevention, education, treatment, and law enforcement strategies to counter drug abuse. In fiscal year 1987, the Bureau of Justice Assistance will award $223 million in grants to enhance the criminal justice system's response to the drug problem. Data table, discussion of forfeiture sanctions, and a description of an enforcement effort directed at heroin trafficking in Lynn, Mass.