Richard Nixon War On Drugs Case Study

The Americans discovered the wonder drug in the 19th century, which gave birth to a new problem of drug use and addiction. The southeast population that moved to the United States during the California Gold Rush introduced the Opium to the United States. Soon after, the U.S government responded with the first drug law that banned the smoking of opium. At the turn of the 20th century, the drug market was mostly unregulated. Medicine that contained harmful drugs such as heroin and cocaine were openly distributed without prescriptions. In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled that the state governments could not regulate interstate commerce. However, as the invention of automobiles made interstate smuggling more practicable, the government became stricter

He was concerned with the heavy use of domestic drugs and among American soldiers in Vietnam. He pledged to cut spending in supplying abroad and increase spending in rehabilitation programs. In June 1971, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs.” Nixon targeted drug abuse, because it was a growing problem and he believed that drug abusers were victims of their environment. He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants. In 1972, the commission unanimously recommended decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use. Nixon ignored the report and rejected its recommendations. In 1973, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was created to enforce federal drug laws. However in the four years gap between 1973 and 1977, eleven states decriminalized marijuana possession. And in 1977, Jimmy Carter began a campaign that included marijuana decriminalization. By the end of 1977, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. But once again the tables turned as the parents became concerned about high rates of teen marijuana

Before the 1970s, policymakers approached the problems given birth from drug abuse as a social disease that could be fixed with treatment and rehabilitation. After the 1970s, policy makers approached drug abuse as a law enforcement problem that could be addressed with aggressive criminal justice policies. Moreover, the war on drugs wasn’t limited to law enforcement only. Drug use was alarmingly increasing among teenagers; Nancy Reagan began a campaign to combat drug abuse in teenagers. Mrs. Reagan toured elementary schools raising awareness in students about the health and legal effects pertaining to drug use. During one of her tours, a student asked Mrs. Reagan what she should do if approached by someone offering drugs, Reagan responded: "Just say no" which started the active use of the slogan. Nancy Reagan's activism on the issue, became central to the administration's antidrug