Confronting Drug Policy: Illicit Drugs in a Free Society

As the financial and social costs of the war on drugs become increasingly clear, there has been renewed debate about drug control in American society. Why, for instance, do the current policies lump less dangerous drugs with more dangerous ones in making possession of any illegal drug a criminal offense? And why does the United States government spend more on law enforcement to repress drug sales than on treatment for individuals who are addicted to drugs? One alternative to the current prohibitionist policies is decriminalisation - a proposal that has drawn both supporters and critics from across the political spectrum. In its most radical form, decriminalisation would entail legalising all drugs; but it could also mean ending the prosecution of small-scale offenses, or treating drug use as a medical, as opposed to a criminal, problem. In this volume, leading analysts of drug use and drug policy evaluate the prospects for decriminalisation as well as its potential impact on public policy, law, medicine, society, and the individual.