Drug Policy of the United States

(source: Benjamin and Miller (1991) Undoing Drugs)

I. U.S. interdiction policy regarding drugs:

1. most popular exceptions (psychoactives): alc, nicotine, caffeine

2. otherwise sweeping national prohibition to limit further use

3. U.S: outright elimination rather than control

4. creates “war on drugs”

II. 4 Reasons futile

1. cocoa bush can be grown 2500 mi band – between tropics; in L.A alone

2 ½ million sq. miles – only .04% being cultivated.

2. crushing poverty encourage a. Columbia, Peru, Bolivia – 2 ½ acres aver maize $400/yr; cocoa: 3 to 4 times that ($1200-1500/yr). b. bribes – Columbia– mid-level law-enforcement official $200/mo. “trabajito” $100: murder rate 5 × NY in Medallin

3. easy to conceal

a. steel cargo containers

b. AWACS $3000/hr F–16 $2300/hr. 1987–$26million for 10 arrests

4. substitutes – methamphetamine hydrochloride (dev. in Japan) crystal meth “ice” substitute cocaine; III methylfentanyl substitute for heroine.

III. Costs

1. willing buyer and seller: $20–$30 billion to interdict drug supplier and user $25–$40,000 prison–operation cost

2. violence: elim legal means of settling dispute

(1) displaces legal means competition: most convenient, cost efficient

(2) criminals take over when business illegal

(3) MAC–10 today rather than Thompson (prohibition)

(4) “posses” 40% crack network 10,000 Bloods and Crips; Bureau of alcohol & firearms reports 1000 murders since 1985.

(5) drive–by homicide 200–300

(6) not arrest most drug dealers

3. More potent varieties of drug pushed because illegal

4. cost of prisons: $50–100k for new cell $25–40k/yr. Maintain; a. CAP LAWS–release criminals: avg. cost of crimes $2300 (FBI EST); b. disrespect for law: 40 million violate drug laws every year, 3% punished

5. spread of STD & AIDS: 25% of AIDS victims because of intravenous drug use; syphilis increasing since 1986. 2000–3000 die drug use/yr: another 3500 die AIDS from drug use!

6. crack–houses: result of war on drugs because of risk of seller

7. clogs courts: by 1990 about half of federal criminal trials are drug cases, double the percentage in 1980