NCJ Number
84607
Date Published
1982
Length
203 pages
Annotation
America's system of drug laws is examined from a sociohistorical perspective, focusing on the psychological and cultural values and prejudices underlying drug control efforts.
Abstract
The criminalizing of certain patterns of drug use is interpreted from the existential-conflict perspective, which views groups and individuals as generating strategies to manipulate the ambiguous social state for their own purposes and constructing information feedback loops when the manipulation process is successful. Although there was considerable conflict over the proper role of drug use by the turn of this century, negative views of drug use predominated, largely due to the infusion of class and racial hostilities into the stereotype image of the 'dope fiend.' The 'dope fiend' and the Chinese, black, and Mexican minorities were depicted as lazy, pleasure seeking, and potentially violent. Drug laws were viewed as necessary to control the behavior of the drug-using groups but also to prevent the behavior associated with drug use from creeping into the lives of middle-class youth. With the enactment of drug laws, designated Federal agencies controlled information about drug use so as to reinforce negative images of its use and clientele. Public attitudes and social change are largely excluded from drug enforcement efforts as criminal justice officials handle cases routinely through plea bargaining that excludes jury trials. Plea bargaining in turn is used to generate information from offenders regarding the activities of other drug traffickers. Appended is a description of the standardized system of charge reduction informally generated by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Notes accompany each chapter, and a bibliography of 61 listings is provided.