Note
"April 2001".
Copyright © 2001 by the Fraser Institute. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission of The Fraser Institute except in the case of brief passages quoted in critical articles and reviews. Users may download or print one copy for their personal use.
Part of the collection of papers titled "Sensible solutions to the urban drug problem", edited by Patrick Basham. These policy papers were originally presented at Fraser Institute Conferences in Vancouver, in April, 1998 and in Toronto, October 1998. The papers were revised and updated in 2001.
Summary
"Medicalization is a new strategy for American drug policy reform. It approaches drug use as an issue of public health rather than of criminal justice. Its advocates consider it a more rational and humane alternative to the present militaristic approach of federal, state, and local law enforcement. Some would argue it respects and promotes human dignity and autonomy while realistically dealing with substance abuse. But advocates of the present policy fear medicalization is a dangerous first step towards complete legalization of drugs proscribed by the state. On the other hand, others complain that medicalization merely replaces the prison bed with the hospital bed. Worse, they see it as a dangerous extension of state power to the medical profession, an ominous enhancement of the “therapeutic state.” Yet, more careful consideration of medicalization might lead to an alternative conclusion. Medicalization might not be incipient drug legalization but might still respect and advance the autonomy of the individual. Neither classic prohibition, nor decriminalization, medicalization might represent a “third way” to drug policy in the twenty-first century."--Page 2.
Conference Meeting
Fraser Institute Conference (April 1998 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Fraser Institute Conference (October 1998 : Toronto, Ont.)