Drug Policy Question of the Week – 7-25-12

As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 7-25-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3945

Question of the Week: What are drug control models?

The abstract of a 1996 article that appeared in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management began,

“The debate over alternative regimes for currently illicit psychoactive substances focus on polar alternatives: harsh prohibition and sweeping legalization.”

Indeed, according to a Thomas Jefferson School of Law article,

“The central principle of [U.S.] drug war strategy has been that vigorous enforcement of increasingly strict criminal laws, though expensive, is necessary to reduce drug abuse and related problems.”

However, the article goes on to note,

“… that the overwhelming public support for ever-more punitive drug policies during the 1980s and early 1990s has disappeared and we now see substantial majorities in favor of reform measures. … voters have generally embraced proposals to move state and local drug policies away from the drug war strategy.”

But what are these alternative proposals and strategies?

As noted by the Global Commission on Drug Policies,

“There is much confusion in the literature and public debate about the terms decriminalisation, depenalisation, legalisation and regulation. Universally accepted definitions do not exist and interpretations frequently vary even within the same language.”

Canadian researcher Mark Haden stated in a 2004 article in the International Journal of Drug Policy,

“We need to ask new questions. The question “how do we stop drug use?” is not as useful as the question “how do we regulate the market for drugs in a way which increases social cohesion and minimises harms?”

The next few Drug War Facts segments will focus on reviewing the spectrum of options available as drug control models that will hopefully answer this question.

Drug Policy Question of the Week – 7-4-12

As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 7-4-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3935

Question of the Week: What is DUID?

DUID stands for “driving while under the influence of drugs.” Some reports have called this “OUI” or “operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs (OUI drugs), also called drugged driving.” Other common terms still include DWI (driving while under the influence) or OMVI (operating a motor vehicle while under the influence).

According to a Western New England Law Review article,

“Nationwide, three different standards have been drafted in legislation defining what constitutes OUI drugs: two “effect-based” laws and one “per se” law. The first effect-based law requires that an OUI drug motorist be rendered incapable of driving due to drug use. The second effect-based law requires a demonstration that an OUI drug motorist’s ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired or that the motorist is under the influence or affected by an intoxicating drug while driving. Some per se laws set a limit on the amount of drug or drug metabolite in the driver’s system at the time of the arrest. However, there was a lack of consensus as to the particular levels. As a result, states with per se laws now employ a “zero tolerance” per se law. This zero tolerance per se law prohibits motorists from operating a motor vehicle if there is any detectable level of illicit drug or drug metabolite in their body, regardless of whether the motorist operated the motor vehicle in an impaired manner.”

A 2009 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded,

“State-by-State analysis indicates there is a lack of uniformity or consistency in the way the States approach drugged drivers.”