LWVCA Study: Illegal Drugs In SC

League of Women Voters^®
of the Charleston Area

Background and reports of LWVCA's Study of Illegal Drugs in South Carolina, concluded in 2010.

Background. Drug Study Report. LWVCA Positions on Illegal Drug Policy.

Study Background

Study Purpose and Objectives: In order to understand how the U.S. drug prohibition policy affects drug use and related crime in South Carolina, the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area (LWVCA) did a year-long study on the subject from 2009-2010. Our local League (as well as the state and national Leagues) did not have positions on drug laws prior to that time. We undertook the study to educate ourselves thoroughly on the subject, and after much consideration of the results, the LWVCA adopted the positions shown below by consensus.
Study Content: Review and evaluation of (1) the history of drug laws in SC; (2) the effects of current laws and policies governing the sale and use of illegal drugs, including their effects on young people, African Americans, and the general public; (3) medical care and public health; (4) the social and economic costs of relying on prohibition, law enforcement, and incarceration to counter drug use and sales; and (5) possible alternatives to current policies.
Study Chair: Sharon Fratepietro, contact at #843-670-3077

Drug Study Report

The following documents are pdf files, which require Adobe Reader.
Complete Drug Study Report - "Mapping the Elephant" - This 110-page study includes charts, graphs, and the full findings.
Drug Study Summary - This 21-page summary provides highlights of the full report.

LWVCA Positions on Illegal Drug Policy

Illegal drug use should be considered a public health issue, and drug addiction should be addressed by substance abuse treatment programs instead of incarceration.
1. We support the following preventive measures:

Educational programs aimed at keeping children from using drugs;
Public education programs about tobacco's role as a gateway drug to illegal drug use;
Mandatory substance abuse education in all SC schools, public and private;
Educational programs about illegal drugs directed to adults;
Sterile needle and syringe programs for illegal drug users to prevent blood-borne diseases.

2. Official drug laws and policies should include:

Drug treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration;
Legal possession of medical marijuana, when prescribed by a physician;
Reliable and equitable state funding for all county drug courts.

3. Drug-addicted pregnant women should be given priority placement in drug abuse treatment programs. We do not support criminal charges for the mother in cases where the newborn tests positive for drugs.
4. Adults who possess marijuana for personal use, adults who sell marijuana to other adults for personal use, and adults who possess illegal drugs other than marijuana for personal use, should at most be charged with a civil offense (which may include a fine), rather than a criminal offense (which may result in incarceration).
5. Programs for substance abuse treatment should be funded by all levels of the government, the private sector, and the drug user, with a sliding scale based on the ability to pay.
6. Any public fund savings resulting from the use of alternatives to incarceration should be used to support substance abuse treatment programs.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 30, 2010 11:51 PDT.