NCJ Number
155059
Date Published
1990
Length
322 pages
Annotation
This book argues that current American drug control policy, popularly known as the War on Drugs, cannot be won and ought not to be fought in its present format.
Abstract
This policy is based on the premise that people will cease demanding and using drugs if the supply of illicit drugs into the country is stopped. This author argues that people's demand for drugs, particularly cocaine, fuel the supply and will continue to do so. The War on Drugs has failed to suppress the supply of cocaine and has inflicted grave damage on the U.S. and the allies supporting the antidrug effort. The first section of the book describes the black market in cocaine, the structure of the cocaine industry, the U.S. law enforcement system, the consequences of the War on Drugs in terms of justice and civil liberties, and the corruption and instability associated with international narcoterrorism. The second section outlines a new strategy for preventing drug use and trafficking.