NCJ Number
138828
Journal
Milbank Quarterly Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: (1991) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
R Bayer,
G M Oppenheimer
Date Published
1991
Length
15 pages
Annotation
These five papers examine drug laws in the United States, the role of compulsory treatment, the potential use of economic analysis in analyzing drug policy, and policies related to drug abuse during pregnancy and the possible role of physicians in dispensing drugs that are currently illegal.
Abstract
An analysis of the effects of drug laws concludes that these laws tend to worsen the conduct and condition of individuals who continue to abuse drugs and place heavy burdens on the criminal justice system. However, these same laws may also reduce overall levels of drug abuse by reducing supply and sustaining the community norm against drug abuse. Compulsory drug treatment is discussed in terms of recent research indicating that it can be effective and avoid violating civil liberties. A discussion of drug abuse during pregnancy concludes that strategies that assist rather than punish pregnant women and that view the maternal-fetal relationship as an interactive one would be more appropriate than current policies. An analysis of the possibility of having physicians prescribe cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other drugs concludes that many physicians would view such a policy as contrary to the purposes of medical practice, but that most would consider prescribing such substances if it took place within the context of a fully developed doctor-patient relationship. Finally, an examination of economic techniques concludes that cost- benefit analysis will never be able to produce a definitive conclusion about the desirability of drug legalization, although the analysis of price elasticity of demand may aid the understanding of the likely effects of policy changes.