Thoughts on Drug Policy, Public Health, and Crime: More Support for Decriminalization

Authors

  • Douglas Husak Rutgers University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/bjclcj.v6i1.1551

Abstract

In this paper I describe the nature of my interest in drug policy; discuss questions about whether and why drugs pose a public health problem; present some empirical results that bear on whether drug proscriptions might be justified because of their causal role in contributing to crime; hazard a few observations about how a society should deal with drug problems; and comment on the recent opiate epidemic plaguing much of the United States. My overall conclusion is that a good rationale for drug prohibitions has yet to be found, and the liberal alternative to criminalization, which recommends that drug use be treated as a public health problem, is problematic as well---even though it certainly would be an improvement on the status quo. 

Author Biography

Douglas Husak, Rutgers University

Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University.

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Published

2018-05-19

How to Cite

Husak, D. (2018). Thoughts on Drug Policy, Public Health, and Crime: More Support for Decriminalization. Bergen Journal of Criminal Law & Criminal Justice, 6(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.15845/bjclcj.v6i1.1551

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Section

Articles