Drug Markets and Addict Consumption Behavior (From Drug Use and Crime Report of the Panel on Drug Use and Criminal Behavior, P 273-295, 1976 See NCJ-40293)

• NCJ Number: 70665
• Author(s): F Goldman
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 23 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Part of the appendix to a drug use and crime report, the paper examines studies which have explored the relationship between drug addiction and criminality with special emphasis on whether an increase in treatment programs results in a reduced crime rate.

Abstract

One of the hypotheses behind the rapid proliferation and expansion of treatment programs during the late 1960's and 1970's was that consumption of narcotics leads to revenue-raising crime to support the habit and that treatment would remove the consumer from the illicit drug market. Several studies have in fact shown a decrease in demand and in crime, a decrease attributed to an increase in treatment programs. The 'Washington strategy' which evolved during the late 1960's and 70's attempted to remove or reduce the supply of heroin to Washington, D. C; it was assumed that the cost of heroin would rise and would thus reduce the consumption and the number of users. This strategy was studied by DuPont and Greene, who found a decrease in the incidence and prevalence of heroin use in Washington during this period and reduction in the number of untreated addicts in the streets. Their findings have been disputed, but they are valuable for their time-series data on the purity and price of heroin and property-related offenses. Other studies such as Brown and Silverman's examine the relationship between heroin prices and the level of criminal activity. Such studies include the influence of other variables such as law enforcement or substitution of other drugs for heroin, supply and demand factors such as the number of consumers or the average level of consumption, the reporting bias of crime statistics, and the elasticity of demand for heroin. Still other studies explore related issues of heroin use and criminality, such as the methods used to finance drug habits, the impact of legitimate employment on drug addiction and criminal activity, the causal relationships between drug consumption and criminal activity, and the changing nature of drug use patterns. A total of 38 references are included. For the full text of the drug use and crime report, see NCJ 40293.