Meese Cites High Rate of Drug Use by Criminals

Well over half of the men arrested for serious crimes in a dozen U.S. cities tested positive for illegal drug use, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Illicit drug use among criminal defendants “seems to be increasing” and far exceeds estimated use in the general population, “where it appears to be leveling off,” Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said at a news conference.

San Diego Rate Is 75%

The testing program, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, found that 79% of those arrested in New York from June through November tested positive for drug use. In Washington, the rate was 77% and in San Diego it was 75%. Drug use was least frequent in Phoenix, where 53% of those arrested tested positive.

The information is “overwhelming evidence . . . that links drug use to criminal activity,” said Meese, who added that state and local governments must shoulder the burden for increasingly needed drug treatment programs.

The tests show that, among those arrested in New York City, cocaine use has nearly doubled in the last three years, while it has tripled in Washington. Cocaine use has surpassed use of marijuana in New York City and Washington, the testing found.

Many Use Several Drugs

The use of two or more drugs showed up in 60% of those tested in Washington; in Indianapolis, use of two or more drugs turned up in 17% of the men.

Multiple drug use is “better than anything else” that researchers have found in identifying high-rate offenders who each may commit hundreds of crimes a year, said James Stewart, the justice institute director.

“If we can get an idea what drugs they are using and keep them off . . . we can lower . . . the crime rate,” he said.

Rates in Other Cities

The other cities and the percentage of those arrested who showed drug use were Chicago, 73%; New Orleans, 72%; Portland, Ore., 70%; Los Angeles, 69%; Detroit, 66%; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 65%; Houston, 62%, and Indianapolis, 60%.

The figures were based on a sample of more than 2,000 men placed under arrest who underwent urine tests voluntarily.

Most of those tested were charged with street crimes such as burglary, grand larceny and assault, officials said. The sample contained few men charged with drug sales, drunken driving or disorderly conduct.