NCJ Number
158530
Date Published
1994
Length
42 pages
Annotation
The views against drug legalization presented in this document represent the position of the Drug Enforcement Administration as reflected in the consensus of the assembled group at the Anti-Legalization Forum held in 1994.
Abstract
This report discusses ten major claims in opposition to drug legalization. One claim is that crime, violence, and drug use are inevitably linked; drug legalization, which would increase drug use, would thus lead to an increase in crime and violence. The second claim is that communities in cooperation with drug law enforcement institutions have made significant progress in reducing drug use in the United States, and now is not the time to abandon these efforts. A third claim is that legalization of drugs will lead to increased drug use and increased addiction levels. Another claim is that any revenues generated by taxing legalized drugs would quickly evaporate in funding the increased social costs. Further, there are no compelling medical reasons to prescribe marijuana or heroin to sick people, as some advocates of legalization argue. A sixth claim is that legalization and decriminalization of drugs in other nations have clearly failed. The report also argues that alcohol use and abuse has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in the Nation, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse. Other claims made are that drug-control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget, and compared to the costs of drug abuse, spending is minuscule; drug prohibition is working; and drug legalization would have an adverse impact on low-income communities. The aforementioned claims are supported by facts, quotes, and statistics. A 77-item bibliography and a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of resource personnel