Drug prohibition and the treatment system: perfect together.
The "War on Drugs" in the U.S. is consistent with the predominance of the abstinence model for treatment and helps legitimate compulsory treatment. Alternative public health approaches such as harm reduction are suspect and devalued. The mission of treatment risks becoming trivialized, primarily focusing on separating individuals from "illicit" psychoactive substances, in perfect accord with current drug policy. The current policy breeds disrespect for law and imposes enormous social and economic costs on society, without demonstrable effects on the availability or costs of "illicit" drugs. Maintaining the policy has become an end in itself, as shown in the disproportionate campaign against marijuana use, but there are signs that the policy is becoming vulnerable. Similarities to the situation at the time of the repeal of alcohol prohibition in 1933 are discussed.
Magura
Stephen
S
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., New York, New York, USA. magura@ndri.org
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011640:Public Policy; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014481:United States
D013287:Illicit Drugs