ABSTRACT
The Iron Law of Prohibition is a theory that helps explain why drugs become more potent over time. When there is a zero tolerance approach to a product’s production, sale, distribution, and consumption, law enforcement officials are placed in a difficult position. In the War on Drugs, the lack of knowledge on the part of many government officials, law enforcement officers, and citizens means that the problems appear to be caused entirely by drugs, dealers, and consumers. The Netherlands began to “tolerate” drug use in the 1970s by allowing coffee shops that served marijuana and hash. This drew a large tourist crowd from other countries, and in some cases people took advantage of the relaxed laws to purchase and smuggle drugs out of the country. Drug law enforcement provides jobs to many towns and cities in the form of police, sheriffs, drug enforcement administration, and prisons, in places where economies crashed in the wake of deindustrialization.
