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Chapter 16 Drugs and Crime

Revises Fall 2015
I Introduction
A Drug Abuse: More than and Individual Choice
1 Many police chiefs feel it is the most serious law
enforcement problem
2 Seems linked to other crimes
B Drug Crimes
1 Ongoing debate if drug use is a victimless crime
2 Drug use has destructive consequences
C But the Profits!
1 El Chapo a major drug leader in Mexico has a fortune
of over $1 billion
2 Enough to dig a secret tunnel to get him out of jail
I Drugs Defined
A What is a Drug
1 Any substance that modified biological,
psychological or social behavior
2 A Psychoactive Drug
a Affect the brain and alter consciousness or
perception
B Types of Psychoactive
1 Opiates
a Come from the seed pod of opium poppy
1) The sap dries and forms a resin called opium
b Can be eaten, smoked, sniffed or injected
c Major derivatives
1) Morphine
a) Widely used in Civil war become the
soldiers disease
2) Codeine
3) Heroin (2 or 3 times stronger than morphine)
2 Stimulants
a Act on central nervous or peripheral nervous
system
b Types
1) Cocaine from the leaf of the coca plant
a) Have to soak it in water, potassium
carbonate, and petroleum (like kerosene)
b) Freebasing drug is vaporized and inhaled
c) Crack cheaper method of freebasing
2) Amphetamines
a) Taken in pills typically
b) Popular in WWII with soldiers
3) Caffeine

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4) Nicotine
3 Marijuana
a From the cannabis plant
b Active ingredient is Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
c Most widely used illegal drug, typically smoked
4 Hallucinogens
a Substance that intensify sensory perception and/or
cause hallucinations
b Most commonly LSD
1) Also PCP (phencyclidine)
2) Psilocybin (from mushrooms)
c Also new designer drugs
1) Ecstasy
2) GHB
3) Foxy Methoxy
5 Sedative
a Induce sleep by depressing brain function
b Barbiturates
c Now mainly use Benzodiazepines
1) Valium
2) Xanax
5 Alcohol
a Taken routinely by 2/3 of adults
b Both a stimulant and depressant
1) Initial euphoria before acting as depressant
C Illicit and Licit Drugs
1 Defined
a Licit are legal drugs nicotine, alcohol, and
caffeine
b Illicit are illegal drugs
2 Distinguishing between the two
a For every illicit addict there are 2 addicted to
legal drugs
b NOT necessarily what is most addictive
a Nicotine is MORE addictive than heroin
c NOT necessarily what is most dangerous
a Marijuana has NEVER killed an individual
by overdose
b Alcohol kills 4 by accident every day
3 Society and the Law
a Mala in Se versus mala prohibita
1) Mala in se are acts illegal because they are
inherently evil
2) Mala prohibita are acts illegal by decision of
the society
b Federal Law
1) Controlled Substance Act

II A
A

a) Part of Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention

and Control Act of 1970
2) Created five categories (Schedules) of Drugs
3) Banned manufacture, sale, distribution,
possession or consumption
D Drug Use and Social Awareness
a Six elements have emerged to change perception of
drug use
1) Addiction is a physical condition not just
willpower
2) Drug use is associated with other types of
crime
3) Social comdemnation is a waste of time and
resources
4) Need for comprehensive and detailed federal and
state laws regulating use or availability of
drugs
5) Large numbers (perhaps growing) in cities, the
poor and disenfranchise use drugs
6) Drug abuse is more a law enforcement issue
rather than medical
History of Drug Abuse in America
Early History
1 Little regulation of drug use
2 Opium available and used on wide scale
a As a substitute for alcohol
3 Issue was left to the states in US
The Harrison Act
1 Passed in 1914 to stop internal traffic in narcotics
2 Banned importation, sale or possession of narcotics
a Put a tax on such transfers and failure to pay tax
was a crime
3 Opiates were covered
a Cocaine was added in
National Prohibition Act
1 Passed to stop consumption of alcohol
a Also called the Volstead Act
2 Alcohol illegal from 1919 1933
a Called Prohibition
3 Overall a failure
a Did lower alcohol related disease
1) Death from cirrhosis of liver fell
b But greatly increase violence and crime
The Marijuana Tax Act
1 Passed in 1923 used tax to outlaw marijuana
a Had been used as a substitute for alcohol
2 Ironically based on false belief it drove people mad

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a Or to commit rapes or crimes of violence
E The Gateway Drug
1 46% of everyone arrested from drugs is for marijuana
a Seen as stepping stone to harder drugs
b Some twin studies seem to support that those using
dope are more likely to try hard drugs
2 Also has negative health consequences
F The Anti-Drug Use Act of 1988
1 In 1980s the drug war was stepped up
2 Goal was to create a drug free America by 1995
3 Created national high profile drug zones
4 Harsher penalties up to an including death penalty
G Other Acts
1 Some tried to get money to rural areas like the
Violent Crime Control and Enforcement Act of 1994
2 Drug Free Community Act of 1997 focused on Youth
3 US PATRIOT Act made it harder to get the precursors
to drugs
III The Most Common Drugs and Who is Using them
A Scope of the Problem
1 Recent studies show 22.6 million adults are current
users of illegal drugs
2 17.4 million marijuana
3 Seem to have fallen since high in 1979 but may
be going up again
4 Drug use peaks in late teens
5 Most drug users (75%) are employed
B Marijuana
1 Naturally occurring leafy plant
2 Induces a sense of euphoria, relaxation and
intoxication
3 Great debate on whether it has any legitimate use
a Cancer and AIDs patients like it for antinausea effect
4 About domestically produced
5 About of imported dope is seized
6 THC levels have risen steadily since the 1960s
C Cocaine
1 Distilled powder form of the coca plant
2 A strong stimulant, producing short term
euphoria, alertness and pleasure
3 Comes primarily from South America
D Heroin
1 Distilled from Opium a secretion of the poppy plant
2 Highly addictive, produces distortions of reality,
relief from pain, euphoria
3 Highly addictive, other opiates used as pain killers

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E Methamphetamine
1 Meth or Ice is a hot drug
2 Typically smoked and made in meth labs
3 Addictive and destructive mentally
a Physically show memory loss and more violence
F Club Drugs
1 GHB, Ketamine, MDMA and Rohypnol
2 MDMA is ecstasy the feel good drug - imported
from Europe
3 GHB is a depressant but relatively easy to produce
IV The Abuse of Drugs
A Indirect Cost of Abuse
1 Biggest loss is in worker productivity
a 128 billion per year
2 Health care costs rune 15 billion
3 Justice expenses 36 billion
B Drug Related Crime
1 Sale of drugs generated 57 billion
a Involves organized crime and money laundering
2 About 5% of all homicides are drug related
C Drug Use Examined
1 Figures
a About 1.6 million arrested
1) 39% for marijuana
2) 82% of all arrests were for posession
b 19.5 million use illicit drugs
c 71.5 million use legal drugs
2 Criminology of Drug Use
a People use drugs to feel good (2 possiblities)
b But there are deeper causes
1) Social disorganization alienation from
changing society
2) Control Theory lack of ability to control
your own environment leads to escape
3 Drugs and the Learning Process
a Why do 1st time users go onto more drug use?
1) Leaning the technique of drug use
2) Learn to perceive pleasure of drug
3) Learn to enjoy social experience of drug use
b So you are taught to become a drug user
1) According to Howard Becker sociologist
B Drug Addiction and Dependency
1 Use and Abuse
a Most people just use drugs
b Many people abuse them
1) Abuse using licit or illicit drug such that
it causes harm to physiological or

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psychological harm to user or 3rd party
c Perhaps 7-20% of users are abusers
d But have big impact
1) 20% of those who drink alcohol drink 80% of all
alcohol consumed
2 Addiction Basics
a Dopamine is responsible in the brain for pleasure
b Drugs trigger production of dopamine
1) But more drug is needed as time go on to
trigger receptors
c Physical dependence suffer withdraw symptoms if
you stop using it
d Addicts often feel craving long after physical
symptoms end
3 The Medical Model of Addiction
a Some feel addiction is a mental and physical
illness
b Emphasis is on enslavement theory of addiction
c More centered towards treatment than punishment
C The Drug-Crime Relationship
1 CJ system favors Criminal model of addiction
a Users and abusers are criminals not sick
2 Research Efforts
a Studies consistently show that use is link to
crime
b Epidemiologist Paul Goldstein look at 3 options
1) Psychopharmacological act violently or
criminally because you take drugs
2) Economically Impulsive commit crime to pay
for drug use
3) Systemic Violence is byproduct of the way
drugs are used
3 Other Explanations
a Some reject the idea that drugs cause crime
1) Embrace idea that subcultures embrace
criminal activity
2) So alcohol fueled organized crime stopped
with prohibition even though it remained
addictive
V Drugs and Crime
A Drugs as a Crime
1 Possession of drugs can be a crime itself
2 The action one takes while on drugs may be a
crime
3 The making, transferring or selling of drugs
can be a crime
B Secondary Affects

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1 Drug use may lead to other crimes
2 Acts of violence within the drug trade
3 Acts of abuse or neglect or negligence while high
C The Money
1 Drugs fuel much of organized crime activity
2 Requiring great public scrutiny on private
business Deals
VI Solving the Drug Problem
A Background
1 Generally attack supply side
a Go after supply of drugs
b Only 27% went to treatment
c 73% goes to enforcement
2 A couple of Options
a Strict Enforcement
b Asset Forfeiture
c drug
statute
d Interdiction
e Crop Control
f Prevention and Treatment
B Law Enforcement Efforts
1 Federal efforts are highly visible
a Usually trying to interdict the drug
b DEA only had 4,000 officers
2 Most work is done at state and local level
a Look to reduce violence associated with drugs
b Eliminate street crime
c Improve quality of life
d Deter minors
e Help drug users
3 Tactics
a Raids, crackdowns and surveillance
B Legislative Efforts
1 Typically take a get tough approach
2 Specifically
a Mandatory minimum sentences
b Asset forfeiture laws
c Child protection laws
C Prospects for Success
1 Most homicides are a result of drug trade
a Not killing while high, or killing to get drugs
2 What are the results
a Massive black market and organized crime
b Corruption of the police
c Impure drugs
d Drugs expensive because of illegality

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1) Cocaine is 20X more expensive
2) Heroin 100X
e Millions forced into CJ system
D Reducing the Supply of Illegal Drugs
1 How do you measure the success of the war on drugs
a Primarily by the cost of drugs
1) Higher cost means lower supply (because police
have caught them)
b By this measure it is a failure
1) Cocaine has fallen by from 200 to 50 a gram
2) Heroine from 1,207 to 269
3) Marijuana is up slightly but is stronger
2 The Substitution Effect
a Often a crackdown or success on one drug causes
the public to shift to another
b This is the crack cocaine model
3 Darwinian Trafficker
a Elimination of dealers leads only to new dealers
b In fact only catch weak ones leaving stronger
players to dominate trade
E Illegal Drugs and Americas Inner Cities
1 Obvious impact
a Often drugs are seen as way out
b Making fast buck and gaining material success
2 Ideal Environment
a Often little supervision, and seen as a
viable escape
b Crackdowns are politically popular
1) Few white voters are caught
3 Police Motivation
a Arrest of minorities are probably more a
result of selective enforcement than overt
racism
b Less danger of negative repercussions
VI Alternatives to Prohibition
A Legalization
1 Remove criminal sanctions from sale and production
of psychoactive substances (except for kids)
2 Benefits
a Lower drug prices
1) Removes money from dealers
2) Lowers access to violence (guns)
3) Lowers need to steal or commit prostitution
b End violence
1) Becomes a regular business like liquor store
c More efficient CJ system
1) Free up more resources

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3 Arguments against
a Public health and behavioral costs
1) More users and wrong message to kids
b Expanded Market Theory
1) Development of legal advertising to entice more
into the system
c Fuel more violence
4 Of course how can we know the impact?
B Decriminalization
1 Program
a Tax
b Limit promotion
c Restrict sale
d Control buyer profile
2 Many European countries have moved this way
a With some success
3 Medical Marijuana
a Some states allow dope for medical purposes
b Federal Government rejects position
1) Prosecutes users and providers
2) Currently being reviewed by Supreme Court
C Harm Reduction
1 Seek to minimize harm from drugs to USERS
2 Often means treating it as medical problem
a Removing most criminal sanctions
3 Methadone Maintenance
a Synthetic substitute for heroin
b Provided to addicts to help with withdraw
c However seems to create simply a substitute addict
VII Public Support for the War on Drugs
A Overall
1 Generally the public embraces a get tough approach
2 Seen as moral not legal, economic or health issue