NCJ Number
177728
Editor(s)
J. M. Fish
Date Published
1998
Length
699 pages
Annotation
The first half of this book contains papers that analyze issues related to drugs and drug policy, all of which bear on or have clear implications for the legalization of drugs; papers in the second half of the book discuss a variety of proposals, with a variety of rationales, for a variety of forms of drug legalization.
Abstract
The two main approaches to ending drug prohibition are represented in the papers presented: the public-health or harm-reduction approach and the libertarian or rights-based approach. The public-health approach looks at the social science and biomedical evidence regarding the effects of each drug, attempts to weigh the positive and negative consequences of various courses of action, and proposes policies with the best overall mix of outcomes. This approach emphasizes harm reduction (preventing the spread of disease, maintaining the health of drug users, and guaranteeing drug purity) and controlling in various ways the quantities available for individual purchase, dosage levels, and other aspects of drugs and their use, as well as drug advertising. Public health strategies often involve taxing currently illicit substances (as well as alcohol and tobacco), possibly in approximate relation to their harmfulness. Tax revenues are usually dedicated to the treatment and prevention of drug-related problems. Such strategies aim to minimize the negative effects of psychoactive substances while holding regulation to a level that will keep the black market as small as possible. The libertarian or rights-based approach to legalizing drugs views the private behavior of adults as none of the government's business and aims at maximizing individual freedom. In this view, the government should not intrude on personal actions that affect only one's own body and personal choices. Only if personal behavior harms others should consequences be imposed by governmental action. Drug-taking, in and of itself, should not, warrant government intervention of any type. Chapter notes and a subject index