NCJ Number
85671
Date Published
1981
Length
277 pages
Annotation
Law enforcement professionals and members of the entertainment industry testified at a House subcommittee hearing in Los Angeles on drug abuse, drug law enforcement, and prevention programs in southern California.
Abstract
Committee members emphasized that their efforts have been directed toward fact finding and intergovernmental coordination of drug law enforcement and do not constitute persecution of particular jurisdictions as alleged by the media. The mayor of Los Angeles offered an overview of drug abuse and prevention programs in that city. Remarks from California's Attorney General focused on narcotics enforcement activities, particularly relations with Federal and local agencies. Additional testimony on drug law enforcement was given by representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Los Angeles Police Department. Areas covered included drug trafficking, smuggling, controlled drugs, major investigations, cocaine, marijuana, prosecutorial problems, manpower shortages, trends in drug abuse, and relationships between teenage crime and narcotics. The second day of hearings explored ways that the entertainment community, especially television, could respond to the nationwide drug abuse problem. Witnesses commented that the industry had been treated unfairly by the press and did not suffer from drug abuse or trafficking any more than other U.S. communities. They described television programs that contained educational messages about substance abuse, as well as the activities of the Listen America Foundation which uses entertainers to educate high school students about drug abuse. Other testimony about drug education programs was given by local high school principals and a labor union representative. Statistics on drug use and drug-induced deaths in Los Angeles County were summarized by the county coroner and director of the county's drug abuse program. Finally, a representative from the California Marijuana Initiative argued for repeal of the present marijuana laws.