Drug prices fell despite intensified drug-war enforcement

Evidence

There is a dearth of studies examining the effects of changes in drug sanction severity on aggregate drug offending. Yet, there are a number of studies that scrutinize the effect of changes in drug sanction severity on drug prices, a proxy for drug offending—the idea being that as law enforcement increases pressure on drug traffickers/drug markets, drug prices rise and increased drug costs lead to reductions in drug offending. Thus, the drug prices are a key indicator of law enforcement effectiveness. Studies conducted in the United States find that, contrary to the predictions of drug war proponents, drug prices have fallen despite the drug war’s increased focus on drug offenses (Caulkins & Reuter, 2010). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1077

Categorization

• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1077