Opioids, Race, Context, and Journeys to Crime: Analyzing Black–White Differences in Travel Associated With Opioid Possession Offenses

Journeys to crime, or distances traveled from residences to places of alleged crimes, describe how people enter into the criminal justice system. Race, as an ascribed characteristic of individuals and a determinant of community conditions, introduces disparities in journeys to crime. Use of opioids among nonurban, White populations and changing law enforcement responses prompt inquiry into how race affects journeys to crime associated with opioid possession. This study evaluates Black–White differences in travel among persons arrested for opioid possession in Delaware. It applies race and rationality theory to assess the effects of race and racialized context on travel patterns. Multilevel models reveal travel to possess opioids is greater for White relative to Black Delawareans. Community conditions such as marijuana possession arrest rates and concentrated disadvantage have varying impacts on travel from various geographic areas. Racial–spatial differences in travel show persistent disparities in drug law enforcement amid efforts to curb opioid misuse.

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Where Is the Fairness in Canadian Cannabis Legalization? Lessons to be Learned from the American Experience

Journal of Canadian Studies ◽

10.3138/jcs-2020-0042 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 395-418

Author(s):

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Law Enforcement ◽

The United States ◽

Systemic Racism ◽

American Experience ◽

Drug Law ◽

Drug Law Enforcement ◽

The Us ◽

International Attention ◽

Drug Prohibition

Canada has received praise and international attention for its departure from strict cannabis prohibition and the introduction of a legal regulatory framework for adult use. In addition to the perceived public health and public safety benefits associated with legalization, reducing the burden placed on the individuals criminalized for cannabis use served as an impetus for change. In comparison to many jurisdictions in the United States, however, Canadian legalization efforts have done less to address the harms that drug law enforcement has inflicted on individuals and communities. This article documents the racialized nature of drug prohibition in Canada and the US and compares the stated aims of legalization in in both jurisdictions. The article outlines the various reparative measures being proposed and implemented in America and contrasts those with the situation in Canada, arguing, furthermore that the absence of social justice measures in Canadian legalization is an extension of the systemic racism perpetuated under prohibition.

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Introduction to Drug Law Enforcement

Global Drug Enforcement - Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations ◽

10.1201/9780203488980.sec1 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 3-5

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Drug Law ◽

Drug Law Enforcement

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Estimated optimal drug law enforcement expenditures based on U.S. annual data

Journal of Policy Modeling ◽

10.1016/j.jpolmod.2012.01.007 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 356-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

James A. Yunker

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Annual Data ◽

Drug Law ◽

Drug Law Enforcement ◽

Optimal Drug

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Drug Law Enforcement Revisited: The “War” Against the War on Drugs

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/0022042617697017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 396-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Konstantinos Alexandris Polomarkakis

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Law Enforcement ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

War On Drugs ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Policy Choice ◽

Drug Control ◽

Drug Markets ◽

Drug Law ◽

Drug Law Enforcement

From the closure of London’s nightclub Fabric to Duterte’s drug war, law enforcement has become the policy choice par excellence for drug control by stakeholders around the globe, creating a rift between theory and practice, the former vehemently dismissing most of its alleged benefits. This article provides a fresh look on the said regime, through examining its implications in the key areas of illicit drug markets, public health, and broader society. Instead of adopting a critical stance from the start, as much of the literature does, the issue is evaluated from the perspective of a focus on the logic and rationality of drug law enforcement approaches, to showcase from within how problematic the latter are. The article concludes by suggesting at least a reconceptualization of the concept, to give way to more sophisticated policies for finally tackling the issue of illegal drugs effectively.

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