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Drugs and Crime Facts
Public opinion about drugs
As reported in the 2002
BJS Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, the percentage
of Gallup Poll respondents describing drug abuse as the single most important
problem facing our country peaked in 1989:
| Date of poll |
|
Drug abuse
most serious problem |
|
| May 1989
|
|
27 |
% |
| July 1990
|
|
18 |
|
| March 1991
|
|
11 |
|
| March 1992
|
|
8 |
|
| January 1993
|
|
6 |
|
| January 1994
|
|
9 |
|
| January 1995
|
|
6 |
|
| May 1996
|
|
10 |
|
| January 1997
|
|
17 |
|
|
April 1998 |
|
12 |
|
| May 1999 |
|
5 |
|
| March 2000 |
|
5 |
|
| January 2001 |
|
7 |
|
| March 2002
|
|
3 |
|
| February 2003 |
|
2 |
|
Among Gallup Poll respondents, the use of drugs was most often mentioned
as one of the biggest problems for schools in their communities. Giving
that response in 2002
were --
- 11% of public
school parents
- 14% of those
with no children in school
- 13%
of all surveyed.
When asked about
spending for various social problems, 56% of the respondents to a 2002
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) Poll said this country is spending
too little to deal with drug addiction.
In 2001 the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press reported that respondents were asked
the most effective actions the government could take to control the use
of drugs --
- 52% said "stop
the illegal importation of drugs from other countries"
- 49% said "arrest
people who sell illegal drugs in the this country"
- 36% said "provide
drug treatment programs for drug users"
- 35% said "educate
Americans about the dangers of using illegal drugs"
- 30% said "arrest
drug users in the country"
NORC has asked adults
(age 18 or older) about legalization of marijuana since 1973. In 2002, 34%
believed that marijuana should be made legal, which compared to the peak
of 30% in 1978. College freshmen have been surveyed by NORC since 1968.
In 2002, 40% of those surveyed agreed strongly or somewhat that marijuana
should be legalized, down from a peak of 53% in 1977 and up from a low of
17% in 1989. Of 2002 high school seniors --
- 31% felt using
marijuana should be legal, compared to the peak of 33% feeling that
way in 1978 and a low of 16% in 1986
- 57% reported worrying
often or sometimes about drug abuse, down from 66% in 1978 and 83% in
1990.
Source:
The Gallup Report, National Opinion Research Center, and the
BJS Sourcebook of Criminal
Justice Statistics, 2002.
Neighborhood crime
In May 1999 the Office
of Community Policing Services and the Bureau of Justice Statistics published
a joint report on criminal victimization and citizen perception of 12
cities across the United States: Chicago, IL; Kansas City, MO; Knoxville,
TN; Los Angeles, CA; Madison, WI; New York, NY; San Diego, CA; Savannah,
GA; Spokane, WA; Springfield, MA; Tucson, AZ; and Washington, DC. Residents
of these 12 cities were asked various questions about community attitudes,
citizen actions to prevent neighborhood crime and attitudes toward the
police and community policing.
- Residents who
said they were aware of serious crimes in their neighborhood were asked
to identify the types of serious crimes that had occurred in their neighborhood
over the past 12 months. Of all residents who identified serious crimes,
people openly selling drugs (16%) and people openly using drugs (14%)
were among the types of crimes that had occurred in their neighborhood.
- Residents were
also asked about various activities which may have been present in their
neighborhood. They frequently said that illegal public drinking and/or
drug use (29%) and public drug sales (24%) were among the activities
that existed in their neighborhood.
- Residents who
identified a neighborhood condition or activity were asked if any of
these condition or activities made them feel less safe in their neighborhood
and, if so, which one impacted their feeling of safety the most. Between
17% and 36% of all the residents in each city said the conditions or
activities made them feel less safe. Across the cities, public drinking/drug
use (15%) and drug sales (17%) were among the conditions that affected
residents' sense of safety.
Source: BJS/COPS, Criminal
Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety in 12 Cities, 1998,
NCJ 173940, May 1999.
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