Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, it is an offence to unlawfully possess a controlled drug, to possess a controlled drug with intent to supply it, to unlawfully supply (sell/give/share) a controlled drug or to allow premises you occupy or manage to be used for the smoking or use of drugs.
As can be seen, selling, producing or using some drugs are in themselves acts of criminality, as is driving under the influence of drugs. While these account for many offences, greater fears are aroused by the extent to which taking drugs leads to secondary crime. This can happen in several ways.
Crimes are committed as a regular part of doing business in the drug industry. Blumstein calls this the systemic connection. This occurs because much of the drugs industry is associated with organised crime, with the manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. It is very difficult to estimate the extent and impact of this form of crime. Organised crime supplies an enormous range of prohibited services and commodities and produces, distributes and sells a range of products, including drugs. Drugs can be ‘trafficked’, and drugs money is laundered in a variety of illegal and semi-illegal ways, such as counterfeiting. Trafficking in illicit drugs tends to be associated with the commission of violent crimes. Reasons for the relationship of drug trafficking to violence include the competition for drug markets and customers, disputes among individuals involved in the illegal drug market. Individuals who participate in drug trafficking are prone to using violence and locations where street drug markets thrive tend to be disadvantaged economically and socially; legal and social controls against violence in such areas tend to be ineffective.
A further connection between drugs and criminal behaviour is that drug users, to support their habit, commit crimes. Blumstein calls this the economic/compulsive connection. He says that the most common crime of this type is addicts, who steal in order to get money for their drugs, and obviously, drug users require large amounts of money to fund their habit, and as they are rarely able to meet the demand for these costs through legitimate sources, they need to commit crime. An out of control drug user is likely to, ‘commit 80 to 100 serious property offences per year, or if female, resort to prostitution’.
Drug-related crime is not only a problem when considering illegal drugs. It is well known that ‘pub-fights’ are the main part of any policeman/woman’s job on a Saturday night. Alcohol can sometimes seem to alter a person’s personality, with sometimes devastating results. In a survey carries out among victims of crime, about 28% of the victims of violence reported that the offender was using drugs, alone or in combination with alcohol. Based on victim perceptions, about 1.2 million violent crimes occurred each year in which victims were certain that the offender had been drinking. For about 1 in 4 of these violent victimizations involving alcohol use by the offender, victims believed the offender was also using drugs at the time of the offence. In the USA, an estimated 61,000 convicted jail inmates said they had committed their crime to obtain drugs. Of convicted property and drug offenders, about 1 in 4 had committed their crime to get money for drugs.
A further connection between drugs and crime is outlined by Blumstein and before him, Paul Goldstein. It is a secondary, indirect form of crime committed by others who have no connection to the drug industry and are affected by the norms and behaviours in the drug industry influencing their behaviour. Blumstein calls this the community disorganization connection. Blumstein gives an example of this sort of connection: “...the influence of the widespread prevalence of guns among drug sellers may stimulate others in the community to similarly arm themselves for self-defence, to settle their own disputes that have nothing to do with drugs, or to gain respect.”
Blumstein points out that during the period from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, the arrest rates for both drugs and homicide among black juveniles jumped. He suggests that the rise in juvenile drug arrests, especially in some inner-city neighbourhoods indicates a major recruitment of non-white juveniles into the crack cocaine market.
Blumstein suggests that the link between more juveniles in the crack market and a rise in juvenile homicides is not coincidental - homicide rates may indicate a community disorganization connection. That is, drug dealers have carried guns for some time. However, with the initiation of a larger proportion of juveniles into the drug market, this put more guns in the hands of youth. In short, youth simply do not use firearms responsibly. What before would have been a youthful brawl that might have ended with some bumps and bruises now ends in death simply because a gun is available.
Public perception of drug-related crime was shown in a survey conducted by the Home Office in 1997, drugs come very high in the views about what causes crime. As can be seen, 23% of respondents feel that drugs are the main cause of crime, second only to poor parental discipline at 26%. Arrestees frequently test positive for recent drug use. Male arrestees charged with drug sale/possession were the most likely to test positive for drug use. Female arrestees charged with prostitution or drug sale/possession were the most likely to test positive. Both males and females arrested for burglary and robbery had high positive rates. Latest indications from a random sample of suspected offenders arrested by the police suggest that over 600/0 of arrestees have traces of illegal drugs in their urine. Incarcerated offenders were often under the influence of drugs when they committed their offense. Drug offenders, burglars, and robbers are the most likely to report having been under the influence of drugs.
There is a clear link between violence and drug-related crime. Many drug ‘organizations’ frequently employ those people with a past history of violence, or those who are comfortable with violence to collect out standing debts from substance users. Violent crimes include offences of homicide, grievous bodily harm, wounding, or actual bodily harm. Some figures include robbery as violent, personal or contact crime. Some figures also include sexual offences such as rape and sexual assault. This brings us to another way in which drugs and crime can be linked and that is the actual use of drugs to commit a crime. The most common form of this is know as ‘Date Rape’, the drug used is known as GBH. GHB also known as Bodily Harm (GBH), Liquid X, Easy Lay and other street names, is a potent date rape drug, in some ways easier to use than rohypnol, but with the same effects. It is promoted as a growth hormone aid, a diet aid and a stimulant.
GHB comes in liquid form, and is often home produced by people who know a little about drugs and their effects. Due to the fact that it is in liquid form rather than tablet form it is much easier to slip into an unsuspecting females drink than some of the other date rape drugs. This is done with either an eyedropper or off a bottle cap, and only a few drops can render the victim confused, dazed, drowsy and unconscious within the space of 15 minutes. The effects can last from 2 to 8 hours.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the relationship between crime and drugs is full of many complex issues. Criminal activity involving drugs is not restricted to drugs offences, a significant minority of all crime is drug-related, i.e. the proceeds of the offence will be spent on drugs. The Home Office believes that around a third of acquisitive crime is drug-related. Only some drugs are criminalized and studies of illegal drug use reveal that these are widely used in different settings from dance scenes, to cultures in which heroin can be seen as an alternative status symbol. The drugs market produces enormous profits for participants, from growers, producers and traffickers, to local, street level dealers. It also produces a large amount of secondary crime although the extent of this can be exaggerated. It has been argued that the decriminalisation of some drugs would help in the battle against drug-related crime, and Poland has taken steps towards this and has legalised all drugs, including heroin. Some argue that dangerous drugs should be subject to the same licensing laws as tobacco and alcohol, as at least that way it would be easier to keep track of it. Cannabis, in particular, has a strong case for it being legalised. The side effects are less harmful than a normal cigarette or alcohol, and it has beneficial medical effects. A positive step in this direction is the fact that cannabis is being considered as a Class C drug, rather than a Class B. For some, this is the first step towards legalisation. Some also argue that more information on the taking of drugs should be available so that it can be made safer, but some see this as the tolerance of illegal drug use. The battle against drug-related crime will long and on going. It will take a lot of compromising on a lot of parts if a solution to this problem is to be reached. There is no short-term solution.
BBC1; Lunchtime News; 22-05-2001
