The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs

ShaLisa R. McCray

COM/172

April 17, 2013

Nick Boden

The War on Drugs

Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, whether illegal or legal, with the intention of creating or enhancing the recreational experience.  Many of the drugs used recreationally were intended to be used medically, to stimulate the mind, or to aide in military combat. Once the government realized the effect the drugs had on people they began to initiate regulations to control the substances they introduce the people to.   As the government fought harder to control drug abuse by enacting more regulatory policies, the more people began to use and abuse drugs, inciting a war across the nation.

The “War on Drugs” is the term the federal government uses to refer to their efforts to stop the import, manufacturing, sale, and se of illegal drugs in the United States.  The term is not used reference to any particular policy or target but instead refers as a whole to the series of antidrug initiatives directed towards ending drug abuse.  On November 27, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the International Committee on Narcotics which was accountable for coordinating executive branch antidrug efforts.  This initiated what the New York Times labeled “a new war on narcotic addiction at the local, national, and international level”.  During a press conference on June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon labeled illegal drugs as “public enemy number one in the United States” and introduced the phase “War on Drugs” to chronicle the governments antidrug efforts.

The history of the Unites States drug policy is complex.  The United States has tried to control the use and trade of drugs for nearly a century.  Some notable milestones in the Federal Antidrug Policy are the Harrison Narcotic Tax Act which was enacted in 1914.  The Harrison Act regulated the distribution of narcotics such as heroine and opiates and later cocaine was incorrectly as a narcotic under this same act.  In 1937, federal regulations were extended to cover marijuana with the Marijuana Tax Act.  The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act established the Federal Antidrug Policy in 1970.

In the late 1960s recreational drug use became customary among young, white, middle class Americans.  As their drug use became common, the social disgrace that was previously associated with drug use diminished.  ("Thirty Years Of America'S Drug War", 1995-2913).  As stated by WebMD, LLC (2005-2013), “the use of illegal drugs and the use of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes are on the rise and according to a survey conducted and released by Peter Delaney, PhD, the director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is attributed to an increase in the use of marijuana.  According to the survey, about 22.6 million Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in 2010. That's nearly 8.9% of the U.S. population.  These rates are similar to those seen in 2009 (8.7%), but higher than in 2008 (8%). In 2010, 17.4 million Americans used marijuana, up from 14.4 million in 2007.  According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which included about 67,500 people in the U.S. aged 12 and up: More young adults aged 18 to 25 are using illicit drugs, up from 19.6% in 2008 to 21.5% in 2010.  Rates of nonmedical use of prescription drugs, hallucinogens, and inhalants are around the same as in 2009.  There were also some glimmers of hope seen in the new survey.  The number of current methamphetamine users decreased by roughly half from 2006 to 2010.  Cocaine use also declined, from 2.4 million current users in 2006 to 1.5 million in 2010.  Fewer 12- to 17-year-olds drank alcohol and used tobacco. “