NCJ Number
127314
Date Published
1990
Length
28 pages
Annotation
While Federal drug law enforcement focuses on apprehending and prosecuting large-scale drug traffickers and on disrupting international drug distribution, State governments play a critical role in arresting and punishing street dealers and drug users and in drug treatment and prevention.
Abstract
Every State has laws that enable law enforcement officials to prosecute those who sell drugs. It is also important to penalize those who use or possess drugs, and one of the most effective police techniques for attacking the demand side of the drug problem is the "reverse buy-bust." Using this technique, undercover police officers pose as drug dealers to arrest drug purchasers. Many States have enacted statutes for drug paraphernalia that are patterned on the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act. In addition, States have enacted criminal penalties related to drug-free school zones, drug transactions involving minors, the suspension of drug offenders' driving privileges, and the eviction of drug users from public housing projects. States have imposed intermediate sanctions for drug users, such as boot camps, halfway houses, day/night temporary detention centers, intermittent confinement, intensive probation supervision, fines, restitution programs, and community service. States have also implemented procedures for seizing real property and personal assets. States should issue effective guidelines on drug testing for public and private sector employees and on drug testing as a condition of pretrial release, probation, and parole. They should further issue appropriate prevention and treatment guidelines. A chart depicting the status of State drug control efforts is provided.