NCJ Number
156593
Journal
Vanderbilt Law Review Volume: 43 Dated: (1990) Pages: 1259-1309
Date Published
1990
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the United States drug control policy concludes that no amount of supply-side law enforcement will prevent drugs from entering the United States and that the public may have been persuaded to support militant policies by promises of an impossible achievement.
Abstract
The current policy is result-oriented and sacrifices many of the country's traditional values. The efforts to justify inappropriate means of controlling drugs by pointing to the great need for drug control should be rejected, particularly considering the disappointing results and unintended reverberations of the current law enforcement programs. During the 1990's, the United States must promote more cooperative relationships with drug-producing countries by refraining from unilateral initiatives. Moreover, supply merely responds to demand, so more resources should focus on demand-side control. Drug control policy should rest on historical lessons and realistic views of the present rather than fears, public opinion, the media, or politics. Footnotes