Invitational Edges of Corruption: Some Consequences of Narcotic Law Enforcement *

Prior to the early years of this century, the nonmedical use of narcotics was largely unregulated and distribution and sales were routinely handled by physicians and pharmacists. However, sparked by international obligations and fervent moral crusaders, a series of legislative acts and court decisions were enacted and enforced. The enforcement of the laws resulted in marked changes in the population of users and drove the trafficking of narcotics underground. ¹ Since the early twenties, then, federal, state, and local agents have been engaged in enforcing the law and attempting to eradicate the illicit trafficker and his activities. Even though it can be demonstrated by official statistics that large numbers of users and dealers are arrested and prosecuted each year, narcotic law-enforcement problems continue to generate considerable governmental and public concern. Our purposes in this chapter 280are to examine the dominant or operative mode of enforcement, to point out the particular problems associated with it, and to indicate how these problems are not unique to narcotics enforcement.