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Drugs and Crime

Drugs and Crime. The Drug Prohibition Movement: A Brief Overview. The nature & availability of drugs in the 19th century Opium and derivate use Growth of addiction during Civil War morphine effective pain killer hypodermic needle invented Post war affluence

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Drugs and Crime

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  1. Drugs and Crime

  2. The Drug Prohibition Movement:A Brief Overview • The nature & availability of drugs in the 19th century • Opium and derivate use • Growth of addiction during Civil War • morphine effective pain killer • hypodermic needle invented • Post war affluence • health care access, and addiction in the middle/upper classes • No prescription needed - patent medicines • mixtures of alcohol and opium • sold from corner drug store • Barkers in traveling road shows

  3. Shift toward Prohibition in late-19th • Growing fear and intolerance of drugs and movement by states to control • The role of drug myths (a 19th century claims maker tool) • Myths re: women • Myths re: minorities • blacks said to be consuming huge amounts of cocaine • produced “coca mania”

  4. The Movement Began at State Level • Requirements for a prescription from physician • One big problem: Patent medicine loophole • Also lack of uniform drug laws across states • States lack resources to enforce new laws • Reluctance of federal government to intervene • concerns about federalism and states rights

  5. The Feds Get Involved: Two Motivators 1. Growth and power of medical profession • AMA founded in 1847, but weak during 19th • threatening to most doctors, didn’t belong to AMA • Didn’t need lot of knowledge to prescribe drug • During Progressive movement, AMA grew powerful • advanced medical training became available • awareness of dangers of drugs • patent medicines took money out of their pocket • AMA lobbied for federal prohibition of narcotics w/o doctor’s prescription

  6. Capitalism and desire for Chinese Markets • China not receptive • harsh discriminatory practices in U.S. • China’s experience with Anglos • China was swamped with opium from Britain • U.S. wanted to improve relations with China • Called international conference of nations • ban opium distribution • Problem: U.S. had no law prohibiting opium

  7. The Harrison Act of 1914 • First Federal drug law • Requirements • License, tax ($1 per year), and records • License restricted to medical professionals • How physicians viewed the Harrison Act • How the Treasury Department viewed Act • How the Federal Courts viewed Act

  8. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 • Effectively added marijuana to prohibited substances under Harrison • Required tax and registration for dealers • Impetus for act • Marijuana “epidemic” • Empire building by federal bureaucrats • Bigotry toward Mexicans

  9. Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Prevention and Control Act of 1970 • Unified categories of illegal drugs and penalties • Basis of federal and state drug enforcement today • Compressed Harrison Act and amendments into one law • Title II: Substance Control Act - drug schedules

  10. Contemporary Federal Drug Control Strategies

  11. The Current War on Drugs:Trends in federal expenditures for the drug war

  12. FY 2003 Federal Drug Control Budget

  13. Three-Pronged Federal Drug Control Strategy

  14. Demand Reduction • Several ways to reduce demand, all focus on increasing the price of drugs • Assumption that drug abuse is “inelastic” • Increase the costs of selling drugs, which will increase price of drugs • Problems with increasing price of drugs • Increase profitability lures more to market • Creates incentives to increase drug potency

  15. Supply Reduction • Eliminate or reduce availability of drugs • Supply reduction strategies • Crop eradication programs • Problems with eradication programs • Resistance from host governments • “Push-down, pop up effect” • Border interdiction programs

  16. Prevention/Education/Treatment • DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) • Most widely used school based curriculum • 1.3 billion dollars annually • Effectiveness of DARE • National Academy of Sciences • U.S. Surgeon General’s conclusion • Other public education initiatives

  17. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign • Created by Congress in 1998 • Targets youth age 9-18 and their parents • TV, radio, print, and Internet advertising

  18. Drugs and Crime

  19. Treatment • Variety of treatment modalities • Studies have concluded drug treatment is beneficial, though degree may be overstated • Treatment programs under funded • Few in need receive treatment

  20. Are We Winning the War on Drugs?

  21. Drug Seizures (in pounds)

  22. Number of Arrests by Drug Law Violation

  23. Drug Offenders in State Prisons,1980-2001 246,100

  24. Percentage of Persons Age 12 Years or Older Reporting Any Illicit Drug Use in Past Year Source: National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

  25. Percentage of Persons Age 12-17 Reporting Any Illicit Drug Use in Past Year Source: National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

  26. Marijuana Use Among College Students

  27. Info from Retail Level Drug Sales • Drugs more available • Price of drugs has decreased • Purity level of drugs has increased • Spread of designer and “cottage-level” drugs

  28. The Legalization Debate Pro-Legalization Arguments • Current policies are a failure • more available, more potent, cheaper • Drug war has high physical costs to society • Increases transmission of HIV • Overdoses due to adulterated street drugs

  29. More Arguments for Legalization • War on drugs is racist • Majority of drug consumers are white, but majority incarcerated for drug offenses are non-white • More young black males under correctional supervision than attending college • Incarceration of black males destroying the black family • War on drugs is genocide of Black family • Incarceration of Blacks destroying Black family

  30. Arguments for Legalization • War on drugs exacerbates the crime problem • High price of illegal drugs means addict has to steal more to support habit • Current illegal drug markets foster violence

  31. More Arguments for Legalization • Drug war is a war on civil liberties • 4th Amendment rights have been whittled away • Suspicion-less drug testing in the workplace and schools • Civil forfeiture of property

  32. Prohibition Arguments • If drugs were legalized, consumption would increase • From 1972 to 1978, eleven states decriminalized marijuana possession • Yet, after 1978 marijuana use steadily declined for over a decade. • The Netherlands decriminalized possession and allowed small scale sales of marijuana beginning in 1976. • Marijuana use in Holland half the rate in U.S

  33. Prohibition Arguments • Crime rate would increase • Argue clear link between drugs and crime • Statistics do suggest a link between drugs and crime

  34. Drug Use Among Booked Arrestees Source: Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program

  35. Drug Use by State Prison Inmates

  36. THREE THEORETICAL LINKS BETWEEN DRUGS & CRIME SIDEBAR

  37. Three Model of Drugs-Crime Link • Physical properties of the drug cause aggression • Economic compulsive model • Systemic model

  38. Pro-Legalization Response to Drugs-Crime Link • Little evidence to show chemical properties alone cause violence • Little evidence for notion that drugs cause crime - could be spurious relationship • drugs do increase the rate of criminal activity • Cede the evidence of pattern of violence associated with illegal drug markets Crime Drugs ??

  39. Prohibitionist’s Arguments • Public opinion is against legalization • Can’t legalize what so many oppose • War on drugs amoral imperative • we continue to fight, even if are losing

  40. A Third Way:Between Legalization and Prohibition • Adopt more reasonable sentences for drug offenders • Focus on traffickers, not users • Provide serious help for users in the criminal justice system • Shift law enforcement policies toward community safety • away from enforcement to problem solving policing

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