Historique
Article de Périodique
Lessons to be drawn from U.S. drug control policies (2018)
Auteur(s) :
CAULKINS, J. P. ;
KLEIMAN, M.
Année
2018
Page(s) :
125-144
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
MAR (Marchés / Markets)
Thésaurus géographique
ETATS-UNIS
Thésaurus mots-clés
POLITIQUE
;
LEGALISATION
;
MARCHE DE LA DROGUE
;
PROHIBITION
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
;
LUTTE
;
EVOLUTION
;
CONTROLE DES STUPEFIANTS
;
PRIX
Résumé :
U.S. drug policy has sometimes implicitly - and incorrectly - assumed that all drug-related harm is caused by drug use, so reducing drug use necessarily reduces drug harm proportionately. Instead, drug policy should try to reduce the sum of both harms incident to drug consumption - including harms to users as well as harms to others - and policy-generated harm in the form of illicit markets, enforcement costs, and increased harmfulness of drug-taking due to controls. A strict prohibition can meet these criteria when it succeeds in keeping illicit markets "thin" and consumption very low. However, promulgating wise policies toward "thick" markets with widespread consumption necessarily involves trade-offs among competing objectives. Recent U.S. history illustrates both the futility of trying to control already "thick" markets using very long prison sentences for dealers (as in the cocaine market) and the risks of allowing "thin" markets to "thicken" by neglecting regulatory and enforcement efforts as prevalence starts to rise (as in the market for prescription opioids).
Affiliation :
Carnegie-Mellon University Heinz College, Pittsburgh, USA