Drug Legalization, the Drug War, and Drug Treatment in Historical Perspective

In: Journal of policy history: JPH, Band 3, Heft 4, S. 393-414

Abstract

Critics of the US drug war have urged the abandonment of the criminal approach & the substitution of controlled legalization in which substances like heroin, cocaine, & marijuana would be taxed & made available to adult users. While increased drug abuse & addiction would result, these social costs might be offset by the advantages of ending the violent, illicit drug traffic. How much crime would be eliminated by legalization is uncertain -- historical experience with narcotic, alcohol, & tobacco use & regulation suggests that the black market would persist in altered form under a system of controlled legalization. The extent of this continued illicit traffic would depend on which groups (eg, minors, prison inmates, pregnant women) were denied which drugs & the level(s) of federal, state, & local taxation. It is nevertheless possible to achieve a more balanced & rational drug policy that avoids both the dangers of controlled legalization & at least some of the concomitants of the drug war. It is argued that public health efforts, particularly in drug treatment, are the best hope for containing the harmful consequences of drug abuse. AA