Long Term Consequences Of The War On Drugs

On June 17, 1971, Richard Nixon and the federal government of the United States issued a campaign called the War on Drugs. It was intended as a way to reduce the drug usage in America. Their methods included the “Just Say No” campaign, raids on multiple ghettos and low-income areas, and laws that were made to severely punish drug users. The outcomes of the War on Drugs were a waste of billions of government money, a new opioid epidemic, and massive amounts of Black Americans incarcerated. All in all, it was a total failure, leaving a stain on American history. The irresponsible and downright racist approach to handling drug abuse has affected millions of African Americans. For that reason, the government should take accountability for disproportionally

This had damaging consequences, because right after the War on Drugs died down, the Opioid Epidemic started to form. African Americans are put in a bad position. Most of them were not able to afford opioid treatment, and even if they were, the perception of them would prevent them from getting them anyway. This tragically culminated in 2014 through 2017, where the death rates due to synthetic opioids increased by 818% for African Americans (Chau 9). The War on Drug campaign was a cruel chain reaction that led to the deaths of innocent Black lives. Unfortunately, side effects of the War on Drugs do not stop there. The mass arrests of the campaign hindered the growth of Black culture in general. Richard Nixon's excuse to destroy Black homes was to get rid of the drugs that corrupt the poor and the children. Doing SWAT raids on neighborhoods that do not even have the funding to defend themselves was in order to make America a better place. In reality, it made things even worse. When someone goes to jail for a long time, they have no news of the outside world, thus will have no idea how to live their lives when they get