NCJ Number
113187
Journal
Public Interest Issue: 92 Dated: (Summer 1988) Pages: 32-50
Date Published
1988
Length
19 pages
Annotation
A promising way of substantially reducing the demand for illegal drugs would be to require urinalysis for people arrested of street crimes and to make the maintenance of a urine that is clean of cocaine, heroin, and PCP a requirement for all who are released on bail, placed on probation, or released on parole.
Abstract
An additional approach that would focus on supply would be to focus enforcement efforts on open-air drug markets and continue to use forfeiture of convicted drug dealers' assets. These approaches are both more realistic and likely to be more effective than proposals such as legalization. The main problem with legalization is that it ignores basic pharmacology. Heroin and cocaine are clearly dangerous drugs. In addition, a prescription system would be inappropriate because people do not use marijuana, cocaine, and heroin to cure ailments. Moreover, the public-health costs of legalizing cocaine and heroin would outweigh the current costs of criminalization, because the use would increase, and legal access for adults would make drugs available to youth. Although education appears to be an attractive option, it is unlikely to lower the level of drug abuse. Thus, some coercion will be necessary through efforts focusing on both dealers and users.