Marijuana Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control

Subjects:

• Crime & Justice » Crime & Justice (general)

Reviews:

• How vigorously should U.S. federal law enforcement agencies enforce the laws against dealing in marijuana? Here alternative means of enforcing marijuana laws at the federal level are identified and assessed. The analysis is presented in three parts. In the first, precisely what is at stake in marijuana consumption and dealing is identified--the size of the problem is estimated, and the criteria to be used in judging a policy recommendation are discussed. The second part develops a theory of drug dealing and its response to varying levels of enforcement pressure. In the remainder of the text, that theory is applied to the real world, and policy options currently available are examined. The conclusions are pessimistic with regard to the ability of federal enforcement to influence marijuana consumption. The analysis supports both a reduction in federal marijuana enforcement efforts and a redirection towards the most violent dealing groups.
  —Sage Urban Studies Abstracts
• A timely, tightly reasoned, thought-provoking examination of ways to select policies for the enforcement of federal marijuana drug laws. Kleiman, a drug policy analyst in the Justice Department during the early 1980s, divides his assessment into three sections. In the first, `The Marijuana Problem,' there are chapters on the consumption of marijuana, on market problems as related to enforcement, on 1986 consumption levels, and a concluding chapter highlighting policy goals. Part 2 consists of six sophisticated and detailed chapters examining several theories of drug enforcement effectiveness, 1982 supply issues, consumption issues, illicit market issues, corrupt criminal organizations, implementation and related issues, and a summary of 1982 marijuana enforcement policies. Part 3 contains chapters evaluating the enforcement strategy, legalization, and recommendations for a marijuana policy. There are 5 tables and 13 graphs in the book, none difficult to interpret. Generally recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, teachers of courses on drug enforcement policies and related social problems, and policymakers.
  —Choice
• An economic analysis assesses alternative means of enforcing U.S. marijuana laws at the federal government level. A theory of drug dealing and its response to varying levels of enforcement pressure is applied to the increase in enforcement expenditures in 1982-1986. A policy of legalization would risk greatly increasing the use of marijuana. A policy of increased enforcement has not produced benefits in line with its costs. A severe enforcement cutback remains the best alternative for dealing with marijuana because consumption is relatively insensitive to enforcement but the problems associated with the illicit market are worsened as enforcement increases.
  —Criminal Justice Abstracts
• Mark Kleiman has written a thorough, if somewhat tedious, analysis of federal law enforcement policy options regarding marijuana. The genesis of this work began when he worked as a policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice. He is now with the Department of Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University. Kleiman includes many facts about American marijuana use in his book. For example, while 50-70 million Americans have tried marijuana, there are only about 18 million current users, including 4 million daily users. Federal marijuana enforcement efforts cost $636 million in 1986, and approximately $14 billion is spent annually on marijuana in the U.S Kleiman presents a number of major arguments against increased federal enforcement of laws prohibiting marijuana, including that it would: 1) increase the use of other drugs such as PCP and alcohol, 2) increase drug dealing and theft among adolescent users, and 3) increase the involvement of organized crime in the illicit distribution and sale of marijuana due to the attraction of greater profits. Regarding this last item, he argues that as enforcement efforts increase it gives people with a propensity for using violence and corruption a competitive advantage in the marijuana trade. Because Kleiman argues for a severe curtailment of federal law enforcement efforts against marijuana, it will stimulate the debate about the role of federal law with regard to marijuana.
  —Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
• Focuses on Federal policy choices regarding marijuana law enforcement. The author discusses the scope of components of marijuana consumption and trafficking, the size of the 1986 market, and how marijuana traffickers and users responded to agressive Federal enforcement in the 1980s. The author recommends that Federal efforts steer away from both legalization and increased enforcement, following instead a middle road of continued but reduced enforcement. He maintains that such a policy will keep marijuana prices from rising and making the market more lucrative for traffickers.
  —NIJ Reports

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Issue and the Argument
• The Marijuana Problem
• The Marijuana Consumption Problem
• The Marijuana Market Problem and the Role of Enforcement
• Marijuana Consumption Levels: 1986
• Summary: The Goals of Marijuana Policy
• Choosing a Marijuana Policy
• Four Theories of Drug Enforcement Effectiveness
• Supply and Enforcement: 1982
• The Dynamics of Marijuana Demand: Enforcement Effects on Consumption
• The Dynamics of Marijuana Supply: Enforcement Effects on Illicit Markets
• Enforcement Effects on Corrupting Criminal Organizations
• Implementation and Ancillary Issues
• Summary: A Marijuana Policy for 1982
• Evaluating Marijuana Policy
• Evaluating Marijuana Enforcement, 1982-1986
• The Question of Legalization
• A Marijuana Policy Recommendation
• Bibliography
• Index