Legal Dispositions and Interventions (From Prescription Drug Abuse and Dependence: How Prescription Drug Abuse Contributes to the Drug Abuse Epidemic, P 139-150, 1995, Daniel P Greenfield - See NCJ-165941)

• NCJ Number: 165950
• Author(s): D A Schwartz; D P Greenfield
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: Charles C. Thomas
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

This review of drug laws and regulations related to the lawful use and punishment for unlawful use of prescription drugs contrasts the approaches to users and to makers and prescribers and concludes that these legal interventions focus mainly on the host, the prescribers and medical practitioners who make prescription drugs available.

Abstract

Prescription drug abuse and dependence can lead to civil and criminal liability for the drug abuser and the provider/prescriber. The laws relating to the disposition of individuals who are convicted of possession of prescription drugs lack specific consideration of the mitigating circumstances that usually accompany prescription drug abuse. In contrast, an often elaborate and complicated regulatory scheme covers medical professionals' provision of prescription drugs to the ultimate users. These regulations are designed to define narrowly the circumstances under which an individual can lawfully obtain prescription drugs and to provide for license revocation and suspension for violation of the regulations. The regulations covering the making and administration of prescription drugs cover the entire spectrum of potential conduct by practitioners. However, the unique imitation and recurrence characteristics of abuse and dependence related to prescription drugs indicate the need for legislation that addresses these characteristics and focuses on prevention and rehabilitation linked to users' legal dispositions. Tables, note, and 19 references