@article{ref1,
title="Dealing more effectively and humanely with illegal drugs",
journal="Crime and justice",
year="2017",
author="Caulkins, Jonathan P. and Reuter, Peter",
volume="46",
number="1",
pages="95-158",
abstract="Many judge the American criminal justice system to have largely failed in its drug enforcement role, and the justice system itself has suffered a loss of community support and internal morale as a consequence. Five principles should guide improvement of drug enforcement, including that drug enforcement be viewed as a preventive activity, whose main goal is reducing drug abuse and related harms, and it should be designed for sustainability. Six more specific proposals are, first, make marijuana enforcement a minor matter for police through decriminalization of possession or outright legalization; second, induce drug users who are under criminal justice supervision to refrain from drug use by imposing appropriate monitoring and graduated sanctions programs; third, expand opioid substitution therapy for heroin- and other opioid-using offenders; fourth, reduce the average severity of sentences for drug offenses, particularly for minor functionaries who are easily replaced; fifth, base sentence length on culpability, danger, and replaceability, not quantity possessed or number of prior convictions; and sixth, reduce prescription drug abuse by policing that reinforces regulatory efforts. Jointly these proposals would provide an evidence-informed approach that should both reduce America's drug abuse problem and increase the perceived legitimacy of the criminal justice system.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0192-3234",
doi="10.1086/688458",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/688458"
}