NCJ Number
131527
Journal
Iowa Law Review Volume: 75 Issue: 4 Dated: (May 1990) Pages: 1119-1133
Date Published
1990
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Efforts to control illegal drug use in the United States have failed, and this failure may be explained in terms of the inability to deal with the question of why a seemingly insatiable demand for drugs exists.
Abstract
Numerous addictive patterns of behavior are manifest in American society. The materialistic culture emphasizes consumption, acquisition, immediate self-gratification, competition, and control of others. Many of these characteristics resemble the traits of drug addicts, and such traits are evident in national drug policies. Drug addicts often find it too painful to accept responsibility for their own conduct, and the addictive personality is plagued by an urgent need to control. The U.S. focus on the supply side has resulted in total disregard for the sovereignty of other countries and a greater emphasis on efforts to reduce cocaine production in source countries. The United States also tends to disregard the integrity of other countries' legal systems and does not consider their economic and political concerns. A military response to the drug crisis is an extreme example of the U.S. attempt to resolve internal problems by controlling and dominating others. A review of U.S. drug policies over the past decade indicates a strategy characterized by an overriding focus on criminal sanctions, a willingness to restrict individual rights, self-righteousness about the best way to deal with the problem, and ambiguity in implementing appropriate policies. It appears that efforts involving a broader range of nations are likely to be more successful than unilateral or even bilateral drug control efforts. 76 footnotes