Drug War Heresies Post #1

From Robert J. MacCoun and Peter Reuter's book Drug War Heresies: Learning from Other Vices, Times, & Places:

U.S. policy remains frozen in a punitive mode. Illicit drugs are perceived primarily as a crime problem rather than as a public health problem. The appropriate response then is seen as tough punishment and that has been the dominant element of policy since 1980."