Abstract
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the primary regulatory and criminal legislation surrounding drugs in the United States. Passed in the 1970s, the CSA established the drug classification scheduling system we use today. Despite being over 50 years old today, the CSA has not achieved its goal of eliminating or even significantly reducing drug use and offenses. This paper conducts an analysis of the CSA's legislative intent versus its actual results through reviews of measures such as incarceration rates, inconsistent regulation, and disproportionate racial effects to argue that the Controlled Substances Act has failed in its mission while causing significant unintended harm.
Recommended Citation
Andrus, Dylan
(2025)
"The Controlled Substances Act: A Menagerie of Arbitrary Regulation and Failure of Purpose,"
The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice: Vol. 24, Article 3.
Available at:
https://mds.marshall.edu/msjcj/vol24/iss1/3