NCJ Number
112565
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Highlights from a July-December 1987 survey of 453 Kentuckians conducted for the Kentucky Crime Estimation (CREST) program focus on public attitudes toward drug use and law enforcement.
Abstract
Nearly two-thirds of the respondents considered smoking marijuana a serious offense and 90 percent felt that using cocaine should be a serious offense. Only 8.7 percent thought that marijuana should be legalized either generally or for persons over 18 years old. The age groups most likely to oppose legalization and to consider smoking marijuana a serious offense were those under 25 and over 40. Females tended to be more conservative in attitudes toward drug use and drug law enforcement than males. Respondents advocated a hardline approach to cocaine users and dealers in their responses to questions about fines, asset seizures, and prison terms. The survey addressed attitudes toward legalizing cocaine, mandated drug treatment for convicted drug offenders, and testing of government employees for drug use. Other issues covered include public contact with the criminal justice system, use of victim assistance services, and citizens' crime prevention strategies. Graphs.