WORKS CITED 4

Friedman, David. “The Economics of Drug Violence”. Liberty (June 2001) 17-24: SIRS Researcher John Carroll School. 20 Sept. 2008 http://www.sirs.com/

• There is general agreement that there is a connection between drugs and violent crime.
• Drugs lead to violent crime because people under the influence of drugs commit crimes that they otherwise would not commit. People who are drunk or on drugs often have less control over themselves and can become violent.
• Drug users often commit crimes in order to get money to pay for drugs. This can be motivated by addiction.
• Violent crimes are committed by people involved in the selling of drugs. Since these people have an abundance of cash, they are obvious targets for robbery. Since calling the police is not an option, they use violence to protect themselves.
• Drug dealers also use violence to protect their territory from other competitive drug dealers.
• Violence crimes can also occur when there is a confrontation between law enforcement agents and people who they suspect of violating drug laws.
• “Broadly speaking, the link between drugs and violent crime could occur in three ways: violent crime by consumers of drugs, violent crime associated with the production and distribution of drugs, or violent crime directly associated with the attempt to enforce drug prohibition.”