ABSTRACT
Having spent the previous two chapters examining global and economic issues inherent in the illicit drug industry, this chapter returns to more domestic concerns. In particular, it begins to focus on two related ‘problem’ areas often associated with illicit drug use: (a) those of the drug/crime link and (b) the damage drug use does to individuals and society. From the outset it is important to be aware of the centrality the drug/crime link holds for UK policy developments. For example, the government's Drugs Prevention Advisory Service comments that ‘a significant number of crimes are committed either as a consequence of, or to help finance, drug use’ (DPAS 2001: 5). This is an important point because, as noted previously, part of the rationale for the state intervening in illicit drug use lies in the damage caused to the wider community — the external costs. Crime which is linked to drug use is clearly seen as the largest and most important of these ‘external costs’. In itself, this can be seen as somewhat of a paradox — as the previous chapter demonstrated, state intervention raises the price of drugs!
