A PUBLIC-HEALTH APPROACH TO DEMAND REDUCTION

Illegal drugs carry the potential for harm, and as such must be subject to some form of societal regulation. Although the high costs and dubious benefits of prohibitionist policies are well documented, it would not be useful to abandon present legal controls simply from frustration or a sense of defeat. Positive alternatives must be provided. A major objective of social policy is to find means by which to minimize health and safety risks at the lowest level of social costs. A challenge of the 1990s is to implement and test a comprehensive public health model for effective control of demand for illicit drugs. © 1990, Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. All rights reserved.