Drug Policy and the Decline of the American City

The Drug Trade Is A Growth Industry In Most Major American Cities, Fueling Devastated Inner-city Economies With Revenues In Excess Of $100 Billion. In This Timely Volume, Sam Staley Provides A Detailed In-depth Analysis Of The Consequences Of Current Drug Policies, Focusing On The Relationship Between Public Policy And Urban Economic Development And On How The Drug Economy Has Become Thoroughly Entwined In The Urban Economy. The Black Market In Illegal Drugs Undermines Essential Institutions Necessary For Promoting Long-term Economic Growth, Including Respect For Civil Liberties, Private Property. And Nonviolent Conflict Resolution. Staley Argues That America's Cities Can Be Revitalized Only Through A Major Restructuring Of The Urban Economy That Does Not Rely On Drug Trafficking As A Primary Source Of Employment And Income--the Inadvertent Outcome Of The Current Prohibitionist Policy. Thus Comprehensive Decriminalization Of The Major Drugs (marijuana, Cocaine, And Heroin) Is An Important First Step Toward Addressing The Economic And Social Needs Of Depressed Inner Cities. Staley Demonstrates How Decriminalization Would Refocus Public Policy On The Human Dimension Of Drug Abuse And Addiction, Acknowledge That The Cities Face Severe Development Problems That Promote Underground Economic Activity, And Reconstitute Drug Policy On Principles Consistent With Limited Government As Embodied In The U.s. Constitution And Bill Of Rights. Designed To Cross Disciplinary Boundaries, Staley's Provocative Analysis Will Be Essential Reading For Urban Policymakers, Sociologists, Economists, Criminologists, And Drug-treatment Specialists. Setting The Stage : Central City Decline And The Rise Of The Drug Economy -- Law, Order, And Economic Development In The Modern City -- The Changing Values Of The Central City -- Drug Use And Abuse In America -- Drug Trafficking As An Understandable Market Response : Urban Youth And The Drug Economy -- The Organization Of The Drug Economy -- The Drug War And The Growth Of The Drug Economy -- The Decriminalization Alternative -- Decriminalization, The Drug Economy And The Future Of American Cities. Sam Staley ; Foreword By Kurt L. Schmoke. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This is an analysis of the effects of current drug-control policies in the United States, which emphasizes how the drug economy has become thoroughly intertwined with the urban economy. It describes how the underground market in illegal drugs undermines the essential institutions necessary for promoting long-term economic growth, including respect for civil liberties, private property, and non-violent conflict resolution. The author argues that the cities of the United States can be revitalized only through a major restructuring of the urban economy that does not rely on drug-trafficking as a primary source of employment and income, and that this situation is the inadvertent outcome of the current prohibitionist policy. The discussion concludes that decriminalization of the major drugs (marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) is an important first step toward addressing the economic and social needs of depressed inner cities. It demonstrates how decriminalization would refocus public policy on the human dimension of drug-abuse and addiction, acknowledge that the cities face severe development problems that promote underground economic activity, and restructure drug policy on principles consistent with limited government as contained in the Constitution and Bill of Rights The discussion describes how the underground market in illegal drugs undermines the essential institutions necessary for promoting long-term economic growth including respect for civil liberties, private property, and nonviolent conflict resolution. The author argues that the cities of the United States can be revitalized only through a major restructuring of the urban economy that does not rely on drug trafficking as a primary source of employment and income and that this situation is the inadvertent outcome of the current prohibitionist policy. The discussion concludes that decriminalization of the major drugs (marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) is an important first step toward addressing the economic and social needs of depressed inner cities. It demonstrates how decriminalization would refocus public policy on the human dimension of drug abuse and addiction, acknowledge that the cities face severe development problems that promote underground economic activity, and restructure drug policy on principles consistent with limited government as contained in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Foreword by Kurt Schmoke, figures, tables, chapter reference notes, and index