An Analytic Assessment of US Drug Policy (Aei Evaluative Studies)

by David Boyum

"In this book, David Boyum and Peter Reuter provide an assessment of how well the massive investment of tax dollars and government authority is working. Using a market framework, the book discusses the nature and effectiveness of efforts to tackle the nation's drug problems. Drug policy has become increasingly punitive, with the number of drug offenders in jail and prison growing tenfold between 1980 and 2003. Nevertheless, there is strikingly little evidence that tougher law enforcement can materially reduce drug use. By contrast, drug treatment services remain in short supply, even though research indicates that treatment expenditures easily pay for themselves in terms of reduced crime and improved productivity."--BOOK JACKET.