NCJ Number
121939
Date Published
1989
Length
64 pages
Annotation
The costs of legalizing currently illegal narcotics would be less than the various costs of current prohibition.
Abstract
Drug legalization would eliminate drug dealers and their street shootouts that often kill innocent people. Hundreds of thousands of drug "addicts" would no longer roam the streets shoplifting, mugging, and burglarizing to pay for their expensive addiction. The criminal justice system would be relieved of its costly burden of processing and imprisoning drug offenders to focus its resources on violent career criminals. Organized crime would be dealt a severe pay cut of $80 billion a year. The urban drug subcultures would collapse, offering a new opportunity for the building of constructive lives. More resources would be available for massive and effective drug education. It is immoral and absurd to force some people to bear costs so that others might be prevented from choosing to do harm to themselves. The public policy on drugs should be the same as that for tobacco and alcohol, i.e., nonprescription availability. The medical dangers of alcohol and tobacco are greater than those of heroin or cocaine. There is no logical basis for the different legal treatments of these drugs. 175 footnotes.