Drug Policy: Striking the Right Balance (From Confronting Drug Policy: Illicit Drugs in a Free Society, P 78-114, 1993, Ronald Bayer and Gerald M. Oppenheimer, eds. - See NCJ-159507)

• NCJ Number: 159510
• Author(s): A Goldstein; H Kalant
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 37 pages
• Sale Source: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses how best to balance individuals' right to enjoy the pleasurable effects of drugs without fear of government interference against the government's responsibility to protect the public welfare, including that of drug users.

Abstract

In fashioning a drug law enforcement policy, the government must weigh the harm produced by excessive drug use against the monetary and social costs of enforcing whatever degree of regulation has been imposed. In formulating an effective drug policy, the following points should be considered by lawmakers: psychoactive drugs are, to some extent, dangerous to users and to society; drug consumption depends on availability; availability can be reduced through measures other than total prohibition; demand reduction is the key to solving the drug problem; and drug policies should be tailored to the dangers posed by each drug to users and to society. 33 notes and 135 references