ABSTRACT
Widespread claims about the danger to society of the escalating use of drugs are frequently rooted in ideology. Those who want to advance their own interests and views of right and wrong associate drug use with certain life styles, a youth culture of rebellion, or the routine activities of lower-class individuals. Claims about drugs can also reflect the bureaucratic agendas of law enforcement agencies, politicians, legislators, and other officials seeking to advance their own needs for resources, power, visibility, and prestige. For evidence we can look to the mid-1980s, when cocaine was replaced by its cheaper and more potent form-crack-as the preferred drug among inner-city users. This led to an all-out war on drugs by the federal government.
