Three Essays on Illicit Drug Use, Crime, and Child Welfare. by James Gregory Rafert
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Author: James Gregory Rafert
Page Count: 126 pages
Published Date: 01 Sep 2011
Publisher: Proquest, Umi Dissertation Publishing
Publication Country: Charleston SC, United States
Language: English
ISBN: 9781243543363
File size: 35 Mb
File Name: Three.Essays.on.Illicit.Drug.Use,.Crime,.and.Child.Welfare..pdf
Download Link: Three Essays on Illicit Drug Use, Crime, and Child Welfare.
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The United States devotes significant resources to the control of illicit drugs. In particular, much of U.S. drug policy has focused on decreasing illicit drug supply to accomplish two goals: first, as a means to increase drug prices, and second, to reduce drug use, drug-related crime, and other factors related to drug use, such as child abuse and neglect. However, surprisingly little is known regarding the effectiveness of the measures employed by the United States in reducing use, and in diminishing other factors related to drug use. In this dissertation, I exploit two interventions in the methamphetamine market to examine the effectiveness and effects of supply-side interventions, as well as the relationship between drug use, crime, and child health. In Chapter 1, I examine the effectiveness of supply-side interventions with regards to decreasing illicit drug use. Policymakers believe that a decreased supply of drugs and higher prices will deter potential users from initiating use, lead light users to exit from drug use, and increase the likelihood that heavy users enter into treatment. However, the role that price changes play in reducing the number of drug users depends critically on the price responsiveness and relative proportion of light and heavy users. To investigate the price-use relationship, I exploit two interventions in the methamphetamine market that allow me to mitigate the impact of omitted variable and simultaneity bias. I find that overall methamphetamine use is price responsive; specifically, a one percent increase in price is estimated to lead to a 0.19 to 0.34 percent decrease in the number of methamphetamine users. Further, I find that light users are significantly more price responsive than heavy users. These results suggest that increased drug prices can lead to reductions in the number of users, yet that the overall strategy pursued to reduce drug use should take into account user heterogeneity in intensity of use. Chapter 2 investigates the relationship between drug prices, drug use, and crime. By increasing drug prices, policymakers hold that the number of users and crimes committed by these users will decrease. However, due to the presence of spurious correlation and reverse causality in the relationship between illicit drug use and crime, it is unclear if drug use has a causal impact on crime. Further, even if drug use leads individuals to engage in crime, the effect of a change in drug prices on crime is ambiguous because a price change affects both the number of drug users and expenditures of continuing users. To examine the relationship between prices, use, and crime, I once again exploit the two interventions in the methamphetamine market, and find robust evidence that methamphetamine use is positively associated with property crime. In particular, I find that a one percent increase in the number of methamphetamine is expected to lead to a 0.32 percent increase in burglary rates and a 0.38 percent increase in larceny rates. Further, I find that property crime rates apparently declined in the presence of increased prices because of decreased participation by light users, while crimes committed by heavy users remained constant, but low, since such users appear to be less likely to engage in property crime. Although this finding suggests that supply-side interventions can lead to decreased drug-related crime, it is important that policymakers consider the characteristics of the drug-using population if they are to anticipate the effectiveness of price-increasing interventions on crime rates. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between parental illicit drug use and foster care admissions. I find...
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