NCJ Number
149448
Date Published
1991
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the arguments for and against drug legalization concludes that the arguments for legalization have many deficiencies and that many practical reasons exist for rejecting the legalization of drugs.
Abstract
Common arguments for drug legalization are that alcohol prohibition was ineffective, that supply reduction policies have increased rather than reduced supplies, that the demand for drugs is part of the United States culture, and that society could learn to live with the legalization of drugs just as it has learned to live with tobacco and alcohol. Further arguments focus on the experience of other countries, individual rights, the choice of lifestyle, drug regulation, drug-related violence, the profits made by drug dealers, potential tax revenues related to drug sales, and the impacts on law enforcement resources. The text counters each of these arguments and concludes that insufficient information is available to justify a change in policy and practice regarding drug abuse. Figures, tables, and 6 references