NCJ Number
142131
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1992) Pages: 332-350
Date Published
1992
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Kentucky's experience with drug policymaking during the last several years illustrates some of the well-known dysfunctional aspects of public administration and the effects of the Federal Government's new drug policy initiatives.
Abstract
The Federal Government's reaction to drug abuse has been both disjointed and inconsistent and has emphasized expanding drug law enforcement. A crucial feature of the process is the block grant approach. Given this background, the difficulties that States have experienced in developing unified, coherent drug policies is unsurprising. In Kentucky, a consistent statewide policy has not been developed. Large portions of the 1987 and 1989 Federal funding were used to supplement routine, required services. In addition, several programs represented high-visibility programs that produce political benefits rather than combatting drugs effectively. Moreover, the programs targeted the lowest-level of the drug market. Furthermore, no single aspect of the strategy was consistently applied throughout the State. Kentucky's experience in the "War on Drugs" is a textbook example of Lindblom's "science of muddling through." It was also influenced by what Johnson, Scholes, and Sexty have termed its organizational recipe and cultural web. Thus, Kentucky's drug enforcement policies are highly suspect and have diverted scarce resources from that treatment and education programs that offer the greatest hope of addressing drug abuse. 18 references