Lies, Damned Lies, and Drug War Statistics by Robinson Matthew B. Scherlen Renee G

Author:Robinson, Matthew B.,Scherlen, Renee G.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2013-01-02T16:00:00+00:00

Figure 5.4. Imbalanced Drug Control Spending.

In the 2006 Strategy, ONDCP again thoroughly explains the logic of market disruption:

The policies and programs of the National Drug Control Strategy are guided by the fundamental insight that the illegal drug trade is a market, and both users and traffickers are affected by market dynamics. By disrupting this market, the US Government seeks to undermine the ability of drug suppliers to meet, expand, and profit from drug demand. When drug supply does not fully meet drug demand, changes in drug price and purity support prevention efforts by making initiation to drug use more difficult. They also contribute to treatment efforts by eroding the abilities of users to sustain their habits.34

Citing an “increasingly diverse body of scientific evidence [that] underscores the significance of drug price and purity to the habits of drug users,” ONDCP claims that the “sensitivity of users to drug price and purity is a durable relationship that can be influenced to help achieve America’s national drug control goals.”35 Yet, as in previous strategies, ONDCP fails to provide any meaningful statistics with regard to drug use prices and drug purity. This is odd given the supposed “significance” of these data. One figure in the Strategy illustrates decreasing purity of Colombian heroin from 2001 to 2004 and corresponding declines in chronic use between 2001 and 2003.36 We’ve reproduced this as Figure 5.5. Note the short-term focus by ONDCP, despite the availability of long-term data from the ONDCP website.37 Also note that Colombian heroin is a drug that is rarely used in the United States.

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