Are drug dealers getting off easy under the Rockefeller drug laws reforms?

The New York Daily News is a tabloid paper which likes to hype stories for headlines. On June 27, 2010 it ran a story in which Bridget Brennan a special prosecutor in New York says that drug dealers are getting let off easy and being released from prison. I wonder if Ms. Brennan has considered that all the stores in New York which sell tobacco are getting off easy especially when tobacco is America's most addictive and deadly drug? What about liquor stores which sell alcohol America's second most addictive and deadly drug? The deadly effects of cocaine and heroin is nothing compared to tobacco and alcohol, but those substances are taxed and their sale is controlled by the state. Supposing New York legalized drugs and taxed them and controlled the conditions of their sale? From a public health perspective it would be a much more effective and rational policy that the one we have now when we incarcerate drug dealers at the cost of $35,000.00 per year per person. That money could hire a drug counselor to provide treatment for a year to over 200 people.

The New York Daily News is in the business of selling newspapers. It does that by scaring people and getting them emotionally upset. These scare tactic headlines and statements like Bridget Brennan made do nothing to enhance the health, safety, and quality of life in New York. Hopefully discriminating readers will know better than to believe the New York Daily News hype. Unfortunately, I don't think that is the case. I took the poll which accompanies the article which asks the question in a very biased way, is the new law too easy on drug dealers, and 75% of the people said Yes. The answer is No. New York is moving in the right direction in reforming the Rockefeller drug laws. Such news though does not sell papers like the New York Daily News.

You can read the Daily News article by clicking here.

Drug Policies in America

America's drug policies are not rational. They never have been and are not currently. America's drug policies have been driven by ulterior motives for religious, moral, and political reasons not based on scientific facts and rational public health policies.

There will be a series of articles on GCASA Cares which will explore these societal and political attitudes towards drugs and provide tools to use in a critical and rational analysis.

Please leave your comments.

There are a number of observations which will underlie this analysis:

1. Human beings have altered their consciousness with chemicals throughout their history. There is nothing unusual or new about this phenomenon. What the motivations are for altering one's consciousness may vary somewhat, but the fact that human beings have always done this, do this now, and will do this into the future is indisputable.

2. At various times and in different societies the altering of one's consciousness with chemicals has been either encouraged such as for religious reasons and celebratory reasons or demonized and made criminal as in prohibition. The reasons for a societal attitude and mores seems somewhat arbitrary based on ideological and political beliefs not on any rational analysis.

3. The use of chemicals for mood altering experiences is best analysed on a use - abuse - dependence continuum. In other words, there can be a recreational or other positive use of some mood altering chemicals such as for pain reduction and anesthesia for example, but these same chemicals can be abused contributing to personal and social dysfunction or physical negative consequences, and these same chemicals can become addictive and habituating leading to further and more serious physical, psychological, and social problems.

4. Some drugs are stigmatized for poor reasons such as marijuana or readily accepted such as caffeine and alcohol. This phenomenon of stigmatization and social acceptance often makes no rational sense when one considers the effects of the drug on the body or the negative social consequences of its use.

It is apparent that most people have not carefully and thoughtfully thought through the drug policies that influence their attitudes, and behavior. Many substance abuse professionals also have not examined drug policies with a critical eye. It is hoped that this series of articles will help inform professionals and lay people so that they will more critically examine the drug policies in America and that improving these policies will improve our public health.

The posts on this theme will be tagged "Drug Policies"