NCJ Number
150808
Date Published
1989
Length
111 pages
Annotation
Between 1983 and 1988, U.S. law enforcement agencies seized 3,084 illegal drug laboratories, nearly 52 percent of which were located in California. This futures study investigates what impact law enforcement in the State will have on illegal drug manufacturing by the year 2000.
Abstract
The analysis identified five trends that will have the greatest impact on the study issue: increasing use of a multi- regional approach to the enforcement and detection of illegal drug laboratories, increasing costs to local government for cleanup of illegal labs, increasing number of sophisticated illegal lab operators, increasing drug education in schools, and increasing number of illegal labs in southern California. In addition, five probable events were incorporated into the analysis: mandatory drug education in schools, legalization of some drugs, passage of life-in-prison law for illegal drug manufacturing or trafficking, U.S. Supreme Court ruling reducing search and seizure requirements during illegal drug investigations, and U.S. Supreme Court ruling that drug asset forfeitures are unconstitutional. The normative scenario developed here encompasses two major strategies: formation of police task forces to address illegal drug laboratories and enhancement of drug education programs. The paper provides strategic and transition management strategies designed to implement this scenario. 5 tables, 14 figures, 30 notes, and 1 appendix