Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting Us

National Research Council

doi:10.17226/10021

Consensus Study Report

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Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs

What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting Us

(2001)

How should the war on drugs be fought? Everyone seems to agree that the United States ought to use a combination of several different approaches to combat the destructive effects of illegal drug use. Yet there is a remarkable paucity of data and research information that policy makers require if they are to create a useful, realistic policy package-details about drug use, drug market economics, and perhaps most importantly the impact of drug enforcement activities.

Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs recommends ways to close these gaps in our understanding-by obtaining the necessary data on drug prices and consumption (quantity in addition to frequency); upgrading federal management of drug statistics; and improving our evaluation of prevention, interdiction, enforcement, and treatment efforts.

The committee reviews what we do and do not know about illegal drugs and how data are assembled and used by federal agencies. The book explores the data and research information needed to support strong drug policy analysis, describes the best methods to use, explains how to avoid misleading conclusions, and outlines strategies for increasing access to data. Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs also discusses how researchers can incorporate randomization into studies of drug treatment and how state and local agencies can compare alternative approaches to drug enforcement.

Charting a course toward a better-informed illegal drugs policy, this book will be important to federal and state policy makers, regulators, researchers, program administrators, enforcement officials, journalists, and advocates concerned about illegal drug use.

Contributor(s): National Research Council; Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Committee on Law and Justice; Committee on National Statistics; Committee on Data and Research for Policy on Illegal Drugs; Charles F. Manski, John V. Pepper, and Carol V. Petrie, Editors

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Suggested Citation

National Research Council. 2001. Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting Us. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10021.

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Publication Info

423 pages | 6 x 9 |

ISBNs:

Hardcover: 978-0-309-07273-1
Ebook: 978-0-309-17133-5

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/10021

Chapters		skim
Front Matter	i-xvi
Executive Summary	1-12
1 Introduction	13-36
2 Determinants and Consequences of Drug Use	37-74
3 Data Needs for Monitoring Drug Problems	75-123
4 Drug Data Organization	124-136
5 Supply-Reduction Policy	137-186
6 Sanctions against Users of Illegal Drugs	187-207
7 Preventing Drug Use	208-240
8 Treatment of Drug Users	241-270
9 Final Thoughts: Unfinished Business	271-280
Appendix A: Characteristics of STRIDE Cocaine Data	281-295
Appendix B: Data Sources	296-318
Appendix C: Phase I Report Executive Summary	319-320
Appendix D: How Do Response Problems Affect Survey Measurement of Trends in Drug Use?	321-348
Appendix E: Linking Treatment to Punishment: An Evaluation of Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System	349-381
Appendix F: Biographical Sketches	382-388
Index	389-407

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