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Violation of drug laws is not the only intersection between drug misuse and crime. Whether drug users are viewed as criminal or as suffering from addiction, crime perpetrated by them is not as uniform as once thought. Not until the 1970s and 1980s did research become sophisticated enough to reveal the range of differences among drug users. As the types of drugs people use vary, so do the types of crimes committed. Most research on drug-related crime has concentrated on heroin, as it was found that hallucinogens and marijuana do not consistently increase criminal activity; the research is mixed regarding tranquilizers and stimulants.

Another focus of research regarding drug misuse and crime has been on violent offenses. The most widely accepted model outlines a three-pronged relationship between drug use and violent crime. The psychopharmacological or biochemical effects of drug use can lead to violence, as can the economic need or compulsion created by addiction; violence can also result from the illegal activities related to drug markets. According to the National Institute of Justice, in 2002 approximately 25 percent of convicted property and drug offenders reported that they committed their crimes to get money for drugs, while 5 percent of both violent and public order offenders reported an economic motivation. Authorities generally agree that most drug-related violent crime is the result of the prohibition against drugs, rather than the drugs themselves. Support for this comes from the violence and criminal enterprise surrounding alcohol that flourished during the years of Prohibition and quickly dissipated after its repeal.

From 1986 until 2004, under the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program, the Justice Department collected information about the illegal drug use of arrestees. In nearly 40 cities across the country, urine testing for illegal drug use during the 72 hours preceding arrest revealed that approximately two thirds had at least one illegal drug in their bodies at the time of arrest; females had slightly higher rates of use. In 2000, for example, men were generally more likely than women to test positive for marijuana, whereas women were more likely to test positive for cocaine. During the same year, methamphetamine use was more common in the West and used more frequently by women than men.

Bibliography:

1) Boyum, David and Mark Kleiman. 2003. "Breaking the Drug-Crime Link." The Public Interest 152:19-38.

2) Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2005. "Drugs and Crime Fact Sheet." Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

3) McBride, Duane C., Curtis J. VanderWaal, and Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath. 2003. The Drugs-Crime Wars: Past, Present, and Future Directions in Theory, Policy, and Program Interventions. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.

4) National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. 2006. "'You've Got Drugs!' Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet: 2006 Update." New York: CASA.

5) Roth, Jeffrey. 1994. Psychoactive Substances and Violence. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.

6) Rydell, C. Peter and Susan Everingham. 1994. Controlling Cocaine. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

7) Sabol, William J. 2007. Prisoners in 2006. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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