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MARKET INTERPOSITION: The Public Health Remedy for America's Drug/Crime Epidemic1 By Donald C. Smart

ABSTRACT
Market interposition is a public health strategy for attainment of all public policy interests in the drug/crime epidemic. The design of interposition gives systematic application to principles derived from observation of state alcohol monopolies and harm reduction measures--both of which have exhibited powers enabling them to diminish the social pathologies of the drug/crime syndrome. Market interposition is implemented by an Agency for Drug Market Interposition (ADMI), which employs eight strategic tools to alter incentives of both drug users and suppliers and interrupt the mutual stimulation of the supply and demand sides of the drug market. Effects include arresting the drug/crime subsidy and a self-funding capability for the ADMI. Modeling of interposition is proposed to measure the self-funding capability, to forecast other effects, and to demonstrate benefits of this strategy. Because the tools of interposition are in the province of public health, it falls to public health professionals to lead the political process for adoption of this strategy. At their initiative, an interdisciplinary national drug policy leadership group must be formed, drawn from all of the professions to whom the polity will look for guidance in the drugs and crime fields. Business and industrial leaders will then provide the resources necessary for conversion of the balance of the policy.

Market interposition is so new a strategy that today marks only its second presentation to a professional and scholarly society. The first similar presentation took place at the International Congress on Alcohol and Drug Dependence this last August, where I proposed an international collaboration for the modeling of this strategy.

My purpose in today's talk is two-fold: first I want briefly to describe some of the more important features of market interposition, and I also want to propose an initiative by public health professionals for formation of a national drug policy leadership group to lead the political process that will culminate in adoption and implementation of market interposition as our country's primary strategy in regard to the illegal drugs and drug related crime.

My very brief talk will necessarily be superficial. If it leaves you hungry for more detail, this booklet²is designed to satisfy your appetite.It is on display in the Exhibition, and order forms are available both there and here.

The Observational Basis of Market Interposition Market interposition is, in large part, a theoretical outgrowth of harm reduction experience. Harm reduction measures came into existence to serve the health needs of drug users, but they are often observed to have further consequences: they reduce drug-related crime and other social pathologies associated with drug use and drug prohibition; they cut the rate of seduction of new drug users; and they reduce prevalence of drug use and addiction.³

Market interposition is also based upon observation of prohibition--of both the successful and unsuccessful varieties. Several states of the United States and several foreign countries operate variously successful alcohol monopolies. Sweden, for example, prohibits private enterprise in the retailing of alcohol.⁴They prevent the crime-generating effects we associate with prohibition with a state monopoly to supply demand. That suppresses black market effects and the creation of new demand. Swedish indices of alcohol use and related pathologies rank with the lowest in the industrial world.