NCJ Number
157992
Journal
International Journal of Drug Policy Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (1994) Pages: 204-208
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Baltimore's Mayor Kurt Schmoke gave an address at the Fifth International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm in Toronto, Canada, that focused on the need for drug policy changes in the United States.
Abstract
He emphasized harm reduction strategies Baltimore is implementing to help drug addicts and what the international community should be doing. He also discussed the link between drug use, AIDS, and crime, especially in the Baltimore area where 48 percent of murders were drug-related in 1993. His presentation noted that Baltimore jails are overcrowded, that police departments do not have enough resources to deal with drug traffickers, and that 70 percent of all new AIDS cases in Baltimore involve intravenous drug users. He argued for a new national drug control strategy that deals with AIDS, addiction, and drug-related crime, a strategy that involves many disciplines and not just the criminal justice system. In addition, he stressed the importance of drug treatment and the need for international cooperation.