cannabisnews.com: Attacking the Drug - Crime Link! 





Attacking the Drug - Crime Link! 
Posted by FoM on January 07, 1999 at 10:20:07 PT

 With new studies showing that half of all substance abusers have been arrested at some point for crimes ranging from burglary and auto theft to assault and murder, the link between drugs and crime is clearer than ever. 
   Incredibly, most law enforcement officials let these captive audiences go without so much as a sermon on the dangers of illegal drugs. The California prison system, for instance, can provide intensive substance abuse treatment and education to only about 3,000 of the estimated 120,000 inmates with substance abuse problems.   On Tuesday, President Clinton proposed doubling federal spending for rehabilitating prisoners with drug problems. Congress should strongly support the president's initiative, for data show that proven substance abuse programs in prison significantly reduce recidivism rates and thus crime overall.   The trick comes in ensuring that federal dollars flow to the most effective use. A 1978 study showing that many of California's substance abuse programs were ineffective led legislators to shut down inept and effective programs alike. The new head of the state Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, Robert Presley, should take a balanced approach, directing dollars to where they can do the most good.   One model should be the Amity program at Donovan, a medium-security state prison east of San Diego. According to a 1997 federal study, only 16% of inmates who completed Donovan's program were rearrested within one year of their release, as opposed to 65% of Donovan inmates who did not participate. The program works because it demands that prisoners attend hours of drug rehabilitation treatment each day and that they submit to intensive drug testing and counseling when they are on parole.   A link between crime and drugs is unassailable. Last year, the Legislature set aside $10 million for prison-based substance abuse programs. If Congress embraces Clinton's proposal to distribute $120 million for similar programs nationwide, California will gain even more resources. The challenge will be to maximize the benefits. 
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Comment #2 posted by observer on August 29, 2001 at 11:18:58 PT
''The Devil-Drug Made Me Do It''
 With new studies showing that half of all substance abusers have been arrested at some point for crimes ranging from burglary and auto theft to assault and murder, the link between drugs and crime is clearer than ever. . . . [2.] The Drug is Identified as Solely Responsible for Many Problems in the Culture, i.e., Crime, Violence, Insanity.The attributing of crimes of violence, sexual assault, insanity, moral decay, etc. have been an integral part of efforts to prohibit the currently illicit drugs. A key element in this theme is the arbitrary designation of "good" and "evil" drugs with evil drugs possessing powers that can overwhelm all efforts at human control. "The Devil made him do it" is changed to "the drug made him do it." This aspect of prohibitionist philosophy is so often reported, there is no need to belabor the point. . . .NIDA: Themes in Chemical Prohibition, William L. White, 1979http://drugwarpropaganda.selfhost.com/t.cgi?2http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/ticp.html et al. 
Drug War Propaganda
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Comment #1 posted by Chris on August 29, 2001 at 10:03:34 PT:
drugs contributing to crime
I was once a drug user and a thief. While, I realize that theft in itself is mainly more influenced by a person's scruples, drugs did inable me to be less likely to stop myself from stealing. The drug I used was alcohol, the most at least. Marijuna, L.S.D., and mushrooms never seem to encourage me to steal, of course, I said earlier that it was mainly my lack of empathy to those I stole from that allowed me to steal. It is in all rights a simplisticly complicated phenomon. Theft was not a problem till orginized civilaztion deemed it one, or perhaps, I digress because it must have been a nusance for civilization to deem it a crime. I believe that it compounds itself through the general public looking down on it an dnot attempting to empathize with the thieving criminal. The offender will eventually isolate himself amongst other criminals or stop thiefing, it is a gamble though. I hope that we can learn to treat both victums and offenders as we would luike to be treated in the circumstance that it was us ourselves that commited the crime or were victumized by the criminal.
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