NCJ Number
177955
Editor(s)
Stephen P. Thompson
Date Published
1998
Length
223 pages
Annotation
Opposing viewpoints on how to conduct the war on drugs are presented; supporters of current drug control policies claim the war on drugs is succeeding, as evidenced by the steady decline in the overall number of illegal drug users since the late 1970s, while critics of the war on drugs question the efficacy of existing drug control policies and believe current priorities should be changed.
Abstract
The Federal Government spent $16 billion in 1998 on drug control, up from $2.7 billion in 1985, and the law enforcement allocation is approximately double the funds provided to efforts to efforts such as drug treatment and education programs to reduce the demand for drugs. Advocates of current antidrug policies believe they are effective, particularly when success is measured by the decline in drug use and the increased number of drug offenders in Federal and State prisons. On the other hand, critics believe the war on drugs has failed and current policies should be abandoned in favor of some form of drug legalization. Recent surveys, however, indicate that opponents of drug legalization have public opinion on their side. Opposing viewpoints are presented in five chapters: (1) whether the war on drugs is succeeding; (2) which current policies work and which do not; (3) whether drug legalization is a realistic alternative to the war on drugs; (4) whether marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes; and (5) what new initiatives, particularly those related to harm reduction, rehabilitation, and treatment, may impact the war on drugs. References, tables, and figures