New Study Sheds Light on the Public’s Perceptions of Drug Use and Sentencing

A new study found that people’s beliefs about the harmfulness of an illegal substance is a stronger predictor of support for both punishment and court-mandated treatment than are beliefs about who is to blame.

The study was led Benjamin T. Kuettel, assistant professor of sociology, human services, and crime studies at the State University of New York Oneonta, and co-authored with Jason R. Silver, associate professor of criminal justice at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. It is published in Criminal Justice and Behavior.

In a 2024 survey of nearly 850 U.S. adults, researchers examined the roles of harm and blame—that is, the harm caused by the drug use (to the user, their family, friends, or community) vs. who was to blame for the drug use (the user, their family, friends, or community)—in linking characteristics of drug use to criminal sentencing and mandated treatment.

Concerns about the harms caused by drugs best explained why people preferred different sentences for different types of drugs, the study found. Specifically, while harm to the user predicted support for both punishment and court-mandated treatment, beliefs that the user’s family, friends, or community were being harmed were tied to more support for treatment. Whether people blamed the user or others was less tied to punishment or treatment preferences.

Policymakers who want to understand public support for drug-related policies should be aware that the public prioritizes reducing harm over morally blaming people who use drugs, according to the authors. Lawmakers should consider messaging that prioritizes safety rather than punishment.

Developing enlightened drug policy requires evidence of how the public understands drug use, they suggest. Public support for drug policy seems widely rooted in concerns about individual harm rather than blame, which may mean that the public is moving away from a criminal understanding of drug use toward a medical one.