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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ILLICIT DRUG POLICY

المؤلف:  Max M. Houck، Jay A. Siegel

المصدر:  Fundamentals of Forensic Science

الجزء والصفحة:  325

2026-08-05

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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ILLICIT DRUG POLICY

In the second decade of this century, there have been some remarkable changes to attitudes and policies regarding illicit drugs. As of 2015, three states, California, Alaska and Washington, have legalized growing, possession, and sale of small amounts of marihuana. It is possible that more states will do this in the future. The legalization of marihuana at the state level is in opposition to Federal laws that prohibit possession and sale of marihuana. The current federal administration has indicated that it will not inter fere with these initiatives at the state level as long as the state has enacted such laws. In recent years, marihuana has been shown to have some beneficial effects to people who are suffering from glaucoma or in the treatment of cancer with drugs as well as a half dozen other diseases. Although the United States Food and Drug Administration does not officially recognize these benefits of marihuana, the Federal Government has not interfered with those states that do acknowledge the benefits and that have passed legislation permitting people who petition the courts, to possess small amounts of marihuana or an extract. As of 2015, more than 30 states and the District of Columbia have passed medical marihuana laws. A quarter century ago, when crack cocaine exploded onto the drug scene, the United States Congress tried to stem the tide by enacting laws that provided for greatly increased penalties for possession and distribution of crack compared to flake cocaine. In some cases, the prison sentences are 10 times as long for possession of the same quantity of crack compared to flake cocaine. Many states followed this lead by enacting similar legislation. Within the past few years, the United States Justice Department has begun to signal that these penalties are unfair and unduly affect minority drug offenders. It seems likely that the Congress will soon enact legislation that will minimize the differences between the sanctions for crack and flake cocaine. In the past few years, the abuse of so-called “synthetic narcotics” such as oxycodone and hydrocodone has exploded in the United States. These and other similar drugs have been around for a long time and some are contained in legal prescriptions as painkillers, but their abuse has risen dramatically in the past decade or so. The problem has become so severe that the government is calling for strong limitations to be put on prescription of these drugs and for increased prosecution of physicians who overprescribe them. As it has become more difficult to procure these synthetic narcotics, the use of heroin has recently shown a major uptick.