NCJ Number
104555
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study guide accompanies a videotape by the same title and outlines social problems created by illegal drug use, perspectives on drug trafficking, and alternative approaches for drug law enforcement.
Abstract
Social problems attending illegal drug use are acquisitive crimes linked to the high cost of supporting a drug habit; the creation of social dependence through the deterioration of economic, social, and health responsibilities; and the undermining of children's development toward responsible citizenship. When drug trafficking is viewed as drug supply, the objective of drug enforcement policies should be to minimize the supply capacity of the distribution system. When drug trafficking is viewed as an organized crime problem, the objective of control efforts is to arrest and punish rich traffickers and to prevent new groups from arising. One alternative approach for addressing the social and economic costs of drug trafficking is to legalize the drug market, which should reduce acquisitive crimes. The negative aspect of such a strategy is the likely increase in drug users and attendant problems. Other enforcement approaches are the control of drug crops in source countries; drug interdiction at national borders; the targeting of organizations responsible for producing, importing, and distributing drugs; and street-level enforcement. See NCJ 104211 for videotape. 6 references, discussion questions.