Show or hide comments about the document.
Search over the document's text.
Share the document through social networks or e-mail.
After selecting an area on the page.
...you can:
copy the text
share the segment
comment
cite the document

Spring 2011

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 26, Number 2

Categories: Politics | Spring 2011

The Hidden Costs of America’s War on Drugs

Joseph D. McNamara, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Download

e-mail

<< Back to editing
Previous version by
<< Older
Newer >>
Revert to this one

Edit
Cancel
Fullscreen

Show comments
Zoom:
Page: / 19

Line spacing:
Word spacing:

Search:FindClose

search results

TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise26(2),2011,97-115TheHiddenCostsofAmerica’sWaronDrugsJosephD.McNamara*TheHooverInstitution,StanfordUniversityAbstractAmerica’swarondrugshasbeencostlyinmanywaysbuthasyieldedfewresults.Thispaperfirstexaminesthehistoryofanti-druglegislation.Itthenlooksatthehiddencostsofthecriminalizationofdrugusetophysicians,police,communities,andsocietyasawhole.JELCodes:K14,K42Keywords:Prohibition;Decriminalization;Legalization;Drugs;Narcotics;DrugwarI.TheCauseofCrimeIn1870,anItalianphysician,CesareLombroso,sometimesreferredtoasthefatherofcriminology,concludedthattherewasa“criminaltype.”Lombroso,afterstudyingtheinmatesofanItalianArmypenitentiary,hypothesizedthatitwaspossibletoidentifylawbreakersbyinherentphysicalcharacteristics(Friedman,1993,p.141).EversinceLombrosoadvancedhispremiseof“AtavisticAnomalies,”countlessbehavioralscientistshavetheorizedonthecausesofcrime.Despitetheabundanceofconjecture,itispossibleintheUnitedStatestoidentifytheliteralcauseofcrime–anactoromissionprohibitedbylawandpunishablebyfine,imprisonment,ordeath(Black,1968,p.444).TheUnitedStates,unlikemanyothernations,embracesstatutorylaw.Inotherwords,thecrimemustbedefinedinwritingbyalegislativebodyofelectedofficialsandendorsed(ratherthanvetoed)byanexecutivememberofgovernment,whoisusuallyalsoelected.Thus,thegovernment,bydefiningcertainacts,suchasassaults,theftsandmurders,oromissions,suchasrefusingtopayincometaxesorfailingtoobtainalicensebeforedrivingamotorvehicle,asillegal,causescrime.Allfiftystateshavelengthypenal*ThispaperwasfirstpresentedatTheAssociationofPrivateEnterpriseEducationThirty-FirstAnnualConferenceinLasVegas.97

GLIFOS-digital_archive

Metadata [hide]

Title	The Hidden Costs of America’s War on Drugs
Authors/Creators:	Joseph D. McNamara, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Year:	2011
Volume:	26
Number:	2
Pages:	97 - 115
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Prohibition, Crime, Law, Government policy, Decriminalization, Legalization, Drugs, Narcotics, Drug war

Citation:
McNamara, Joseph D. / 2011. "The Hidden Costs of America’s War on Drugs." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 26(2): 97-115.