NCJ Number
121119
Date Published
1990
Length
165 pages
Annotation
Based on government and news reports, this book presents a comprehensive overview of the international illegal drug business, focusing on the economic forces that drive the market.
Abstract
The first part of the book, which focuses on a drug industry analysis, contains five chapters that discuss the cultivation, refinement, and distribution of a single substance or group of similar drugs. Two chapters consider the cocaine oligopoly and channels of cocaine distribution. Separate chapters address competition in the heroin industry and competition for the U.S. marijuana market. A chapter on United States self-sufficiency in "dangerous drugs" discusses the economics of drugs either diverted from legitimate use or produced illicitly in clandestine laboratories. The most common of these drugs are LSD, PCP, methamphetamine, valium, and so-called designer drugs. Remaining chapters examine both the impact of the drug business on American society and the various policy alternatives governments have either considered or adopted to address the problem. This encompasses both the Reagan and Bush administrations' policies in their war on drugs. The discussion notes that although both the Reagan and Bush drug policies have touted the need for prevention and treatment, the bulk of the limited funding has gone to law enforcement and interdiction efforts. The book concludes with a discussion of the pros and cons of drug legalization. Chapter notes and figures, subject index.