NCJ Number
214288
Date Published
2006
Length
198 pages
Annotation
This book examines current U.S. antidrug laws, policies and programs; explains why they have failed; and proposes remedies.
Abstract
The first chapter reviews the history of narcotics use and narcotic regulations in the United States prior to 1937, followed by a chapter that describes Federal narcotics laws and sentencing policies since 1937. After reviewing the provisions of current Federal drug laws, current Federal sentencing guidelines for drug offenses are discussed, along with how many Federal judges view the effectiveness of mandatory sentences for drug offenses. The third chapter presents a historical review of how Federal drug enforcement agencies have shaped the "War on Drugs," with attention to current regulations and structure. The effectiveness of attempting to interdict drug supplies at the source, transit, and user levels is assessed in the fourth chapter. Interdiction strategies for heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, and marijuana are assessed separately. The fifth chapter documents the failure of incarceration as a strategy for countering drug trafficking and use and identifies problems with mandatory sentencing guidelines, followed by an assessment of the effectiveness of drug courts. The remaining four chapters propose a shift in priorities in the Federal effort to reduce the demand for and abusive use of harmful drugs. One chapter discusses issues in the drug legalization debate. Five appendixes of tabular data, a 103-item bibliography, and a subject index