NCJ Number
154834
Date Published
1995
Length
46 pages
Annotation
This report describes the activities of the September 1994 term of the Baltimore City Grand Jury, and specifically, its deliberations on the issue of drug legalization.
Abstract
Narcotics cases overwhelm the Grand Jury docket, with drugs involved in approximately 80 percent of violent crimes. The first objective of the Grand Jury was to define the schedules of controlled dangerous substances, with a focus on cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, and to identify their effects on the community. This study differentiates between the terms legalization, decriminalization, and medicalization, which are often used interchangeably, but are perceived differently. The Grand Jury examined current policy and formulated comments, proposals, and recommendations for managing the drug problem. Some of these included considering legalization of marijuana, continuing to prosecute drug traffickers, expanding drug treatment programs, offering drug prevention programs to elementary and middle school children, and correcting social disorders that contribute to drug abuse and related crimes.