The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a)  Although the criminal justice system is an important weapon against the marketing of illegal controlled substances, the civil justice system can and must also be used. The civil justice system can provide an avenue of compensation for those who have suffered harm as a result of the marketing and distribution of illegal controlled substances. The persons who have joined the marketing of illegal controlled substances should bear the cost of the harm caused by that market in the community.

(b)  The threat of liability under this division serves as an additional deterrent to a recognizable segment of the network for illegal controlled substances. A person who has assets unrelated to the sale of illegal controlled substances, who markets illegal controlled substances at the workplace, who encourages friends to become users, among others, is likely to decide that the added cost of entering the market is not worth the benefit. This is particularly true for a first-time, casual dealer who has not yet made substantial profits. This division provides a mechanism for the cost of the injury caused by illegal drug use to be borne by those who benefit from illegal drug dealing.

(c)  This division imposes liability against all participants in the marketing of illegal controlled substances, including small dealers, particularly those in the workplace, who are not usually the focus of criminal investigations. The small dealers increase the number of users and are the people who become large dealers. These small dealers are most likely to be deterred by the threat of liability.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 867, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1997.)