Drugs and Crime: A Bad Connection?

Abstract

What to do about the "drug problem" is a question of intense general and professional concern. Most people are worried about the illicit drugs, particularly heroin, rather than the widely used legal drugs, such as alcohol. Out of the many reasons for the public furor and occasional near hysteria that mark debates about drug control policies, two explanations appear most frequently. The first is the widely held belief that drugs cause crime. The second is a moral objection to the perceived self indulgence of pleasure-seeking drug takers, an objection most strikingly voiced about marijuana use but also directed at other illicit drugs.