NCJ Number
82400
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Drug policy formulation is fraught with disagreements over the designation of harmful substances, the nature of abuse, treatment approaches, and enforcement intervention. These conflicts are reflected in the proposed West German drug law reforms, which emphasize diversion strategies with therapeutic goals.
Abstract
Differences of opinion continue regarding such issues as decriminalization of hashish and cannabis use; institution of methadone programs, which seem to have been unsuccessful elsewhere; and the discrepancies inherent in therapy offered under coercive situations (such as correctional programs for drug offenders). Also unresolved are legal issues regarding police rights to pursue undercover entrapment and the proper authority for exercising diversion discretion, i.e., the police or the prosecution. It is recommended that police enforcement activity in apprehending drug consumers be circumscribed. Instead, more intensified outreach should be directed at drug abusers by health, social assistance, and juvenile agencies. Police should concentrate on the control of the illicit drug trade and smuggling. Such a program of divided responsibilities within the complex scene of drug abuse should be tested in the form of a regional model.