Discontent over the efficacy and costs of America's war on drugs has led to calls for drug legalization. But this course, too, has its pitfalls. The wisest policy may be to “do less harm.”
References
1.
GoodeErich. Between Politics and Reason: The Drug Legalization Debate.New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. This book provides an overview of the effect of prohibition and the likely effect of drug legalization.
2.
GoodeErich. Drugs in American Society (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill, forthcoming. This study provides background detail on drug use in the United States.
3.
InciardiJames A., ed. The Drug Legalization Debate (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1999. This is a book of essays, pro and con, on the question of legalization.
4.
MacCounRobert J.ReuterPeter. Drug War Heresies: Learning from other Vices, Times, and Places.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. This is an informative, well-reasoned volume on the consequences of drug policy.
5.
NadelmannEthan. “The Case for Legalization.”The Public Interest92 (Summer 1988): 3–31; and “Commonsense Drug Policy.” Foreign Affairs 77 (January/February 1998): 111–126. These two articles reflect how a prominent spokesperson for drug legalization has shifted to a more moderate position of harm reduction.
ZimringFranklin E.HawkinsGordon. The Search for Rational Drug Control.New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992. This is an excellent general framework for understanding the foundations and implications of drug control policy.
