NCJ Number
140562
Date Published
1992
Length
218 pages
Annotation
A critical analysis of the Federal Government's crime control policy on dangerous and illegal drugs is presented that focuses on drug criminalization and enforcement policies during the 1980's, the seeming narrow-mindedness of continuing such a policy, and the amount of social control such a policy invests in those in power.
Abstract
The author argues that the overriding characteristic of the "war on drugs" is that both the perception of success and the perception of failure can be used to justify continuing such a war. With success, governmental control mechanisms must be continued and enhanced to reach objectives. With failure, efforts require more resources and different levels of coordination to reach objectives. As the drug war continues unabated, it becomes increasingly evident that social control is the real issue. As government at all levels increases its repressive measures against drugs, societal members, particularly the middle and upper classes, seem more willing to accept these measures as necessary to combat the evils of dangerous drugs. Politization through the media further distorts the image of the drug problem. In addition, reported law enforcement successes do not necessarily mean there has been a reduction in the use or availability of dangerous drugs on the street. Federal efforts to control drugs are described, along with the drug war's social costs to Latin American countries. Policies of the Reagan and Bush administrations are sharply criticized, but the author warns that drug legalization is not a panacea to fundamental social problems in the United States and in the Third World. References and notes