Curing the Drug-Law Addiction - The Harmful Side Effects of Legal Prohibition (From Dealing With Drugs Consequences of Government Control, P 73-102, 1987, Ronald Hamowy, ed. - See NCJ-106217)

• NCJ Number: 106218
• Author(s): R E Barnett
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 30 pages
• Sale Source: D C Heath and Co
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses the harmful side effects of drug law enforcement and shows why they are inevitable.

Abstract

By making drug use illegal, drug laws place the user in legal and physical jeopardy, raise the price of drugs, require that drugs be purchased from criminals, induce the invention of new intoxicating drugs, and criminalize the user. Drug laws also have negative side effects for the general public. Scarce resources must be spent to enforce drug laws. Increased drug prices result in increased crime. Other harms, stemming from the fact that drug use is a victimless crime, include the invasion of privacy and the weakening of constitutional rights. Allowing police to use force to prevent voluntary consensual activity also allows them to franchise the manufacture and sale of drugs, which is facilitated by the lack of a victim, thus increasing the potential for abuse and police corruption. 60 notes.