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Adrug-related crime is acrime to possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential forabuse (such ascocaine,heroin,morphine andamphetamines). Drugs are also related to crime asdrug trafficking and drug production are often controlled bydrug cartels,organised crime andgangs. Some drug-related crime involves crime against the person such as robbery or sexual assaults.[1]
In 2002, in the U.S. about a quarter of convicted property and drug offenders in local jails had committed their crimes to get money for drugs, compared to 5% of violent and public order offenders. Among State prisoners in 2004 the pattern was similar, with property (30%) and drug offenders (26%) more likely to commit their crimes for drug money than violent (10%) and public-order offenders (7%). In Federal prisons property offenders (11%) were less than half as likely as drug offenders (25%) to report drug money as a motive in their offenses.
In 2004, 17% of U.S. State prisoners and 18% of Federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs. These percentages represent a slight increase for Federal prisoners (16% in 1997) and a slight decrease for State prisoners (19% in 1997).
Drug abuse andaddiction is associated with drug-related crimes. In theU.S. several jurisdictions have reported thatbenzodiazepine misuse by criminal detainees has surpassed that of opiates.[2] Patients reporting to two emergency rooms in Canada with violence-related injuries were most often found to be intoxicated with alcohol and were significantly more likely to test positive for benzodiazepines (most commonlytemazepam) than other groups of individuals, whereas other drugs were found to be insignificant in relation to violent injuries.[3]
Research carried out on drug-related crime found that drug misuse is associated with various crimes that are in part related to the feelings of invincibility, which can become particularly pronounced with abuse. Problematic crimes associated includeshoplifting,property crime,drug dealing,violence andaggression anddriving whilst intoxicated.[4] In Scotland among the 71% of suspected criminals testing positive for controlled drugs at the time of their arrest benzodiazepines (over 85% are temazepam cases) are detected more frequently thanopiates and are second only tocannabis, which is the most frequently detected drug.[5]
Research carried out by the Australian government found that benzodiazepine users are more likely to be violent, more likely to have been in contact with the police, and more likely to have been charged with criminal behavior than those using opiates. Illicit benzodiazepines mostly originate from medical practitioners but leak onto the illicit scene due to diversion anddoctor shopping. Although only a very small number originate from thefts, forged prescriptions, armed robberies, orram raids, it is most often benzodiazepines, rather than opiates, that are targeted in part because benzodiazepines are not usually locked in vaults and or do not have as strict laws governing prescription and storage of many benzodiazepines. Temazepam accounts for most benzodiazepine sought by forgery of prescriptions and through pharmacy burglary in Australia.[6][7]
Benzodiazepines have been used as a tool of murder by serial killers, and other murderers, such as those with the conditionMunchausen Syndrome by Proxy.[8][9][10] Benzodiazepines have also been used to facilitaterape orrobbery crimes, andbenzodiazepine dependence has been linked to shoplifting due to thefugue state induced by the chronic use of the drug.[11][12] When benzodiazepines are used for criminal purposes against a victim they are often mixed with food or drink.[13]
Temazepam andmidazolam are the most common benzodiazepines used to facilitatedate rape.[14]Alprazolam has been abused for the purpose of carrying out acts ofincest and for the corruption of adolescent girls.[15] However, alcohol remains the most common drug involved in cases ofdrug rape.[16] Although benzodiazepines andethanol are the most frequent drugs used insexual assaults,GHB is another potentialdate rape drug that has received increased media focus.[17]
Some benzodiazepines are more associated with crime than others especially when abused or taken in combination with alcohol. The potent benzodiazepineflunitrazepam (Rohypnol), which has strong amnesia-producing effects can cause abusers to become ruthless and also cause feelings of being invincible. This has led to some acts of extreme violence to others, often leaving abusers with no recollection of what they have done in their drug-induced state. It has been proposed that criminal and violent acts brought on bybenzodiazepine abuse may be related to loweredserotonin levels via enhancedGABAergic effects.[18]
Flunitrazepam has been implicated as the cause of one serial killer's violent rampage, triggering off extreme aggression withanterograde amnesia.[19] A study on forensic psychiatric patients who had abused flunitrazepam at the time of their crimes found that the patients displayed extreme violence, lacked the ability to think clearly, and experienced a loss of empathy for their victims while under the influence of flunitrazepam, and it was found that the abuse of alcohol or other drugs in combination with flunitrazepam compounded the problem. Their behaviour under the influence of flunitrazepam was in contrast to their normal psychological state.[20]
The concept of drug-related crime has been criticized for being too blunt, especially in its failure to distinguish between three types of crime associated with drugs:[21]
Drug-related crime may be used as a justification for prohibition, but, in the case of system-related crime, the acts are only crimes because of prohibition.[citation needed] In addition, some consider even user-related and economic-related aspects of crime as symptomatic of a broader problem.[citation needed]
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Organized crime:
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Poverty exposure in childhood and adolescence is closely linked to a higher chance of drug use disorders and drug-related criminal activity in later life. Early drug exposure and the acceptance of criminal activity are caused by social disadvantages such disinvestment in the community, unsecure family settings, and limited access to education. Drug use and trafficking trends among male inner-city adolescents in Washington, D.C., frequently arise as responses to isolation from society and financial difficulty. In areas where legal possibilities are limited and illegal economies thrive, young individuals are more prone to resort to delinquent behaviors, such as drug distribution and violence, as a means of surviving.[1]Manhica, H., Straatmann, V. S., Lundin, A., Agardh, E., & Danielsson, A. (2020).Association between poverty exposure during childhood and adolescence, and drug usedisorders and drug‐related crimes later in life. Addiction, 116(7), 1747–1756.https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15336
