NCJ Number
140185
Date Published
1992
Length
490 pages
Annotation
This book is targets people who develop and implement drug policies, citizens who influence drug policy as voters, and scholars and journalists. It asks why some people get into trouble with drugs, how their problems harm their families and communities, and what governments can do about the situation.
Abstract
The first section argues that current national drug policy has multiple goals and is not well-served by simple policies expressed in "bumper-sticker slogans." The second chapter addresses the characteristics of drugs that set them apart from other consumer goods and make them appropriate subjects of special public policy attention. The chapters dealing with policy develop the vocabulary of public actions to control drug problems, including laws, taxation, and drug prevention programs. The analysis developed in the first three sections is then applied to five drugs, including alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco, and heroin. Chapter references