Citation

Bazelon DL. J. Soc. Iss. 1971; 27(3): 47-52.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1971, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1540-4560.1971.tb00668.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In order to deal effectively with the problem of narcotics addiction, it is necessary to determine precisely what harms we wish to control. To protect the public from the violent crime that seems to be associated with drug addiction, it may be appropriate to resort to the model of "civil commitment," to provide compulsory treatment to those drug users who are thought likely to inflict harm on others as a result of their addiction. On the other hand, to protect the user from drugs which are harmful only to him, it may be appropriate to resort to the regulatory model by which we control the distribution of other hazardous consumer goods. Neither interest is well served by the criminal model on which we now rely.

Language: en