NCJ Number
128079
Date Published
1989
Length
46 pages
Annotation
This analysis of drug control policies over the last 25 years emphasizes the importance of avoiding the policy errors of using easy, politically popular solutions assuming that the Federal government can effectively direct money to where it is needed most and focusing exclusively on eliminating the root causes of drug abuse.
Abstract
Trying to eradicate drug supplies is ineffective due to the alternative sources of drugs and routes of entry into the United States. Suggesting that the Federal government fund drug law enforcement at the State and local level ignores the political issues involved in distributing Federal funds. Finally, research has not yet determined the root causes of drug abuse nor the most effective ways to eliminate them. Therefore, two approaches should be emphasized: reducing the demand for drugs through provision of treatment, school-based peer counseling programs, and research on neurochemical processes and making communities safer through community-oriented policing or other approaches that match the needs of specific areas.