NCJ Number
157834
Date Published
1991
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This paper examines New York's drug laws in terms of the dynamics of the political economy in the State; the author argues that conflict and power formulate law and that law is a mechanism actively developed by powerful elites to establish and maintain dominance over others.
Abstract
Legal development has been viewed by some primarily as a semiautonomous process; that is, both the legal tradition and society shape law. The analysis of New York's drug laws, however, focuses on legal development as a nonautonomous process in the political economy context. While several studies have explored law and the political economy, few if any have dealt specifically with drug laws. The current study examines major growth trends in New York's drug laws during the 1871-1975 period. Historical developments during this period act as points of reference in reflecting the emergence of a powerful elite whose rise to power is correlated with changes in New York's drug laws. These changes tended to be of a punitive nature, as exemplified by a more stringent drug law enforcement policy and stronger regulations on drug distribution and use. 45 references, 19 footnotes, and 8 tables