NCJ Number
137924
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1992) Pages: 11-26
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Despite Australia's law enforcement focus on controlling the supply of illegal drugs, others argue in favor of drug legalization by citing the lack of clear evidence that law enforcement has successfully restricted supply.
Abstract
In addition, the realization that drug law enforcement methods may encourage the spread of AIDS has recently made many people question the value of a blanket prohibition against heroin use. The case for at least partial legalization of heroin has been defended on three main grounds: (1) law enforcement cannot succeed in principle in reducing the supply or use of heroin; (2) law enforcement has not succeeded in practice in reducing the supply or use of heroin; and (3) social costs of prohibition are less than those of partial legalization. While a policy of partial legalization may reduce social costs, it may also result in a net increase in social costs. There may be a case for conducting a more detailed assessment of whether a partial heroin legalization scheme is capable of producing better social outcomes than complete prohibition. No case has been made to date, however, that would justify a change in Australia's policy of prohibiting heroin. In addition, there is currently no way of gauging the effects of drug law enforcement with any certainty and no reliable empirical index of the extent of heroin supply and use. 52 notes and 3 figures