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The origin of crack cocaine research paper
The origin of crack cocaine research paper
The origin of crack cocaine research paper
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In response, Congress passed the Harrison Act, which was designed to regulate drug abuse through government taxation and became the basis for narcotics regulation in the United States. Furthermore, the act required anyone importing, manufacturing, selling, and dispensing cocaine, and opiate drugs to register with the Treasury Department, pay a special tax and keep records of all of their transactions. Officially, the Harrison Act did not make opiates and cocaine illegal, physicians could prescribe these drugs in the course of their professional practice only, which left a good deal of interpretation, and many physicians found themselves to be in violation of the law. Eventually, physicians stopped prescribing the drugs that were covered under the Harrison Act, which resulted in a new kind of criminal, driving individuals to seek drugs through a black market. Subsequently, the Harrison Act failed to reduce the drug-taking behavior and created a new market for organized
Due to the unprecedented expansion of the war on drugs by the Reagan administration started a long period of skyrocketing rates of incarceration. The huge number of offenders incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenders increased from 50,000 to 1980 to over 400,000 by the year 1997. In 1981, Nancy Reagan began a highly publicized antidrug campaign called “Just Say No”, as public concerns arose due to the portrayals by the media about people addicted to a smoke-able form of cocaine dubbed as “crack”. This campaign set the stage for zero tolerance policies implemented in the late 1980’s.
One of Nixon’s aide named John Ehrlichman admitted to the real reason why the War on Drugs was introduced, he stated “You want to know what this was really about. The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m
During the eighty-year reign of president Ronald Reagan, it was the era of the "get tough" approach and the "war on drugs". Which means during the Reagan era mostly non-violent offenders were incarcerated. Those non-violent offenders were either the drug users or drug distributors. In addition, Regan also increased the involvement of the federal government and altering the federal role in crime policies, which had affected the nation. Regan had the federal government very involved on the "war on drugs" movement that he provided more funding, training, and employment to FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The use of drugs has become a major problem in our society, leading to serious health and social issues. The Rockefeller Drug Act of 1914 was a landmark piece of legislation that sought to curb the sale and use of narcotics in the United States. It was proposed by John D. Rockefeller Jr., who had become increasingly concerned about the effects of drug addiction on society. The act made it illegal for anyone to possess, sell, or transport narcotics without a prescription from a licensed physician. It also imposed stiff penalties for violations of the law and allowed for federal prosecution of those found guilty.
9.1.1. Conservative beliefs regarding the need for traditional social values and a reduced role for government advanced in the U.S. politics after 1980. In the 1980s War on Drugs was when President Nixon declared a war on drugs. This meant that he was going to increase the size of drug control agencies.
In fact, total economic growth was almost identical, averaging about 4 percent per year, with Reagan edging out Clinton by less than 1 percentage point for the total eight-year period. Page 1 of 3 Page 2 of 3 Sami 1 Additionally both presidents shared many ideals, such as the opinion that Marijuana is a gateway drug; meaning that it is a drug thought to lead to the use of other dangerous drugs such as cocaine or heroine. As such, Reagan made an effort to create the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, giving the war on drugs a budget of $1.7 billion, and increase the severity of the punishments for any drug related offences.
The combination of drugs and unemployment increased crime, as drugs and alcohol disproportionately affected the black population. Above all the government's approach to addressing the harmful effects of drugs on society has created an oppressive atmosphere for poor blacks and other minority groups. The war on drugs targeted drug users and drug contributors similarly, and the group that was primarily affected was the African American community. However, they treated crack and cocaine differently, as it turns out; there is no significant chemical difference between them. The only distinction was in federal sentencing laws for possessing each form of the same drug, which had more to do with incorrect information and political pressure than public safety and health.
During the Conservative era of the 1980’s President Ronald Reagan had multiple issues to deal with during his two terms, both foreign and domestic. The obvious cloud hanging over every president at that time was the threat of The Soviet Union and communism. Reagan’s presidency saw him take numerous measures to solidify America as the stronger of the two and democracy as the best form of government. On the home front, there were numerous issues to deal with as well. The main concerns he had to deal with were public health and safety issues such as the HIV and AIDS, the protests of the homosexual community, and the cocaine epidemic.
Gaudio states “Early reformers, convinced that society’s duty was not to confine youth, but rather to save them.” (p. 213). Drug laws are far too strict and based on moral panic and not factual information. Drug use prior to the drug war was not seen as an issue and even though crime rates have been dropping since the 1980s, when asked, a majority of the population will say that crime rates are increasing. These responses are based on perception, because the media and politics put fear into the perceptions of the public and they play on that fear to gain views and votes.
The use of narcotics like cocaine, claimed many lives and earned widespread coverage by media and news. Following this Nancy Reagan began the “War on Drugs”, a campaign to combat pre-existing drug usage and prevent future
The sentencing disparity for drug use by race is disproportionate for African Americans because of The War on Drugs. Matthew Lassiter (2015) explains, “In 1951, Harry Anslinger, the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, collaborated with senate of criminal investigations to target black ‘dope peddlers’ who were luring pretty white blondes into drug addiction”(2015:128). According to Lassiter (2015), Anslinger believed that peddlers, who destroyed teenagers’ lives, required the most sever punishment (2015:129). Using this rhetoric, presidents like Nixon and Reagan would shape the way drug laws are enforced.
The initial thinking behind the creation of minimum mandatory sentences was created by congress to aim in the capture and imprisonment of high level drug traffickers, and deter others from entering into drug trafficking or using illegal substances, which would create a safer society. However, the nation prison has been expanded with low level street drug dealers, and the accessibility to illegal drugs is more obtainable then before the enactment of the mandatory sentencing act. In fact, the number of drug offenders in federal prisons has increased 21 times since 1980. Contrary to what congress has believed in the past about the dangers of crack cocaine compared to that in powder form has been proven to be untrue, but little has been done to reduce the number of prisons affected by that belief.
The main issue when it comes to drugs in the United States is the inefficient policies and sentencing laws that have been created. Also, the injustices within these policies pertaining primarily to race. Once the “war on drugs” was claimed the only way the government and law enforcement saw fit to handling this skyrocketing issue was to incarcerate offenders. Although this solution worked for a while, other alternatives needed to be made. However, these alternatives were not made and this left the drug policies, sentencing laws, and injustices at a standstill.
The consumption of drugs have always been a part of society, from tobacco used by the native Americans to the coco leaf used by mayans, people exhibit a tendency to use narcotics. While drugs were used for medicinal purposes risks were still associated with them as they are today. As with most things, narcotics can be harmful, and even dangerous, while drugs do not usually cause a society to collapse, it does have a profound effect on how societies function as in the case of the 1900s. While there were positives to the initial inaction of prohibition it was more detrimental than beneficial.
