NCJ Number
112748
Date Published
1986
Length
14 pages
Annotation
In the United States, which has served as a model for narcotic control policies for most Western democracies, the war on drugs has engendered harsh policies and an excessive reliance on criminal law enforcement.
Abstract
There is, however, a growing loyal opposition that advocates more tolerant drug control policies. The worst feature of the American drug war has been the intrusion of criminal law into the treatment of the organically ill. Both heroin and marijuana have legitimate uses in the treatment of intractable pain, the terminally ill, and the side-effects of cancer chemotherapy. In addition, these drug policies fail to understand the reality of drug addiction and its treatment. While the goal of drug treatment is a drug-free life, this goal cannot be achieved by many addicts. Reliance on methadone maintenance treatments is based on the faulty premise that a single substance, and only when taken orally, can provide a solution for addicts. This policy also provides little help for those addicted to less powerful drugs. The essence of addict treatment should be to provide the widest possible choices for addicts and those who treat them. A more enlightened policy must be cognizant that there is no complete solution to the drug problem because drugs are a perennial feature of society, that a war on drugs is extremist and impractical and has failed to achieve results, that addicts must be treated as normal and decent members of a caring society, and that tolerant and human drug policies offer the best hope of curbing drug abuse. 8 notes.