Production of Drug Problems - Creating and Controlling Consumers (From Exploring the Alcohol and Drug Crime Link - Society's Response, P 35-42, 1986, R A Bush, ed. - See NCJ-102892)

• NCJ Number: 102895
• Author(s): M Sargent
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

Crimes committed by drug consumers are insignificant compared to the harm inflicted by politically and economically powerful institutions and groups that have a stake in creating and controlling drug consumers.

Abstract

Drugs are rendered legal or illegal by law based on a variety of factors operative in various jurisdictions. Although certain drugs produced by transnational companies have been made illegal in certain countries because of debilitating side effects, they continue to be marketed in Third World countries where they are not illegal. Producers of drugs, whether they are illegal or legal, are more concerned about expanding the number of consumers than they are about the harmful effects of the drugs on consumers. The marketing of alcohol and tobacco, two drugs that are legal in most jurisdictions, are prime examples. In many cases, governments foster the consumption of harmful drugs, notably alcohol and tobacco, by deriving revenue from their sales. In the illegal drug market, consumption is fostered by organized criminal networks whose principal figures are rarely prosecuted. The street consumer of illegal drugs becomes the scapegoat for the drug-crime link, as control efforts focus on these relatively minor offenders who cause only a fraction of the harm produced by the huge marketing network of legal and illegal drugs. To prevent the exploitation of minor consumers of illegal drugs, such drugs should be legalized and controlled. 9 references.