Wisotsky, Steven (ed). Breaking the Impasse on the War on Drugs. Greenwood Publishing Group. October 1986, 279 pages.
 In this provocative new study, law professor Steven Wisotsky takes a sober look at the consequences of the Reagan Administration's intensified "War on Drugs." He points out that, while drug arrests and drug seizures are on the rise, drug imports have reached record levels. Presenting a powerful case that the War on Drug has worsened the problem, he argues that the conceptual basis of the present approach to drug control is wrong and in need of radical rethinking.
In his detailed investigation of the black market in cocaine, he analyzes the structure of the cocaine industry and the accompanying adverse social effects. Turning to law enforcement programs, Professor Wisotsky discusses the futility of attempts to control coca and cocaine at the South American source. He also assesses the operations of the various armies of the War on Drugs, from the DEA to the Coast Guard to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Tawsk Force Program. Several Chapters are devoted to what the author has identified as the black market pathology of corruption and violence, and international ramifications such as political instability and narcotics-related terrorism in the affected countries.
In an analysis of the rationale behind the War on Drugs, Professor Wistosky argues that an underlying conceptual error can be traced to a preccupation with the objective, physical "causes" of cocaine dependency and deterministic explanations of human behavior. Noting that an estimated 80 percent of cocaine users do not become addicted, he challenges its classification as an "additive drug," and emphasizes that the "cause" of addiction is to be found not in the drug itself but in volitional human behavior. He contends that the War on Drugs has not only failed to suppress the supply of cocaine but has instead inflicted grave damage on the political and economic institutions of the United States and its allies. He argues persuasively for a fundamental conceptual reorientation that would take us beyond the War on Drugs, replacing it with a network of controls that acknowledge the centrality of individual responsibility.
Meticulously documented and drawn from insider sources such as diplomatic cables and confidential internal law enforcement memos, this study will be of interest to professionals, academics, and general readers concerned with one of the major social problems of the century. It is an approprate resource for studies or courses in criminal law and justice, sociology, political science, and Latin American affairs.
"Breaking the Impasse in the War on Drugs examines the production, distribution, and consumption of illicit drugs. This scholarly, challenging, and powerful work depicts the failure of current drug policy. Steven Wisotsky, a professor of law, writes in a lively and informative style. His suggestions for changing the context of the current popular and professional discussions and thus breaking the impasse in the "war" are essential reading for the interested public and for anyone involved in the making or teaching of social policy."
-- Ira Glasser, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and author of "Drug Prohibition: An Engine for Crime."
About the Author
Steven Wisotsky Professor of Law, Nova University Law Center, is editor of the proceedings of the recent War on Drugs Symposium. His research on the effects of the War on Drugs has attracted wide attention.
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