Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs: Money Down a Rat Hole

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We’re losing the “war on drugs”—but the fight isn’t over yet Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs examines our current anti-drug programs and policies, explains why they have failed, and presents a plan to fix them. Author Thomas C. Rowe, who has been educating college students on recreational drug use for nearly 30 years, exposes the truth about anti-drug... Read more

We’re losing the “war on drugs”—but the fight isn’t over yet

Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs examines our current anti-drug programs and policies, explains why they have failed, and presents a plan to fix them. Author Thomas C. Rowe, who has been educating college students on recreational drug use for nearly 30 years, exposes the truth about anti-drug programs he believes were conceived in ignorance of the drugs themselves and motivated by racial/cultural bias. This powerful book advocates a shift in federal spending to move funds away from the failed elements of the “war on drugs” toward policies with a more realistic chance to succeed—the drug courts, education, and effective treatment.

Common myths and misconceptions about drugs have produced anti-drug programs that don’t work, won’t work, and waste millions of dollars. Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs looks at how—and why—this has happened and what can be done to correct it. The book is divided into “How did we get into this mess?” which details the history of anti-narcotic legislation, how drug agencies evolved, and the role played by Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the United States Bureau of Narcotics from 1930 to 1962; “What works and what doesn’t work,” which looks at the failure of interdiction efforts and the negative consequences that have resulted with a particular focus on the problems of prisons balanced against the drug court system; and a third section that serves as an overview of various recreational drugs, considers arguments for and against drug legalization, and offers suggestions for more effective methods than our current system allows.

Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs also examines:

the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics
current regulations and structures
current federal sentencing guidelines
current state of the courts and the prison system
mandatory sentencing and what judges think
interdiction for heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, and marijuana
early education efforts
the DARE program
drug use trends
drug treatment models
the debate over legalization

Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs also includes several appendices of federal budget figures, cocaine and heroin purity and price, and federal bureau of prisons statistics. This unique book is required reading for anyone concerned about the drug problem in the United States and what is—and isn’t—being done to correct it.
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Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Narcotics and Narcotic Regulations to 1937
The History of Opiates
The Harrison Narcotics Act
The Porter Amendment
Creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Appointment of Harry J. Anslinger
Chapter 2. Narcotics and Narcotic Regulations from 1937
Opium Poppy Control Act
The Boggs Act
Narcotic Control Act of 1956
Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966
Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970
Comprehensive Drug Penalty Act of 1984
Controlled Substance Analog Act of 1986
Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988
Current Federal Sentencing Guidelines
What Do Judges Think?
Chapter 3. Agencies of Enforcement
Anslinger in Charge
The Post-Anslinger Era
Current Regulations and Structure
Chapter 4. Interdiction As a Strategy
Heroin Interdiction
Interdiction at the Source
The Failure of Success
The Failure of Success II: Intended Consequences
Interdiction at the User Level
Interdiction for Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
Marijuana Interdiction
Final Costs of Interdiction
Chapter 5. Failures of Incarceration
Current State of Prisons
Current State of the Courts
The Criminal Mind-Set
Problems with Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines
The States Respond: The Emergence of Drug Courts
Chapter 6. What Works: Part I—Education
Early Efforts
The DARE Program
Other School Initiatives
Public Education
Drug-Use Trends
Chapter 7. What Works: Part II—Drug Treatment
The Federal Narcotics Farms Experience
Drug-Substitution Models
Medical Treatment Models
The Residential Treatment Program in Federal Prisons
Other General Treatment Considerations and Therapies
The Value of Treatment
Chapter 8. The Legalization Debate
Drug-Damage Characteristics
Health Issues
The “Levels of Use” Argument
Myth and Countermyth: Three Bogus Arguments
Harm Reduction
Conclusions
Chapter 9. Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Restructure Priorities
Recommendation 2: Stop Mixing Apples and Oranges
Recommendation 3: Stop Wasting Money
Recommendation 4: Expand Education
Recommendation 5: Fully Fund Treatment
Recommendation 6: Implement Drug Courts at the Federal Level and Eliminate Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines
Conclusion
Appendix I
Appendix II
Appendix III
Appendix IV
Appendix V
Bibliography
Index
Reference Notes Included

Author(s)

Biography

Thomas C. Rowe

Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs Money Down a Rat Hole

Description

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Biography

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