THE GREAT AMERICAN WAR ON DRUGS - ANOTHER FAILURE OF TOUGH-GUY MANAGEMENT

The increasingly obvious failure of the “tough-guy” approach that we have adopted to cope with the national drug problem is discussed. The public continues to strongly support such authoritarian management of the problem, largely because it has been led to see the drug problem as a crisis, and partly because tough-guy management promises a quick fix. The reality has been that a thriving black market in drugs, run by entrepreneurs, has made the problem worse in every respect: disrespect for the law, disruption of communities (particularly in the inner city), continued appeal of illegal drugs, and prisons bulging with inmates. A “tough-minded” alternative policy involving controlled legalization, social disapproval, and effective education is proposed, but this policy must overcome the popular perception that this would be a “nice-guy,” or do-nothing approach to managing the problem. © 1991, Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. All rights reserved.