Ronald Reagan's Anti-Drug Campaign

How are the messages the same? How are they different? How is the use of visual imagery the same or different? “In June of 1971 President Nixon officially declares a war on drugs, identifying drug abuse as public enemy number one. This declaration lead to the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in July 1973.” (We) However, most people probably did not realize this campaign until the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s. This unprecedented expansion of the drug war increased the number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses. Furthermore, in 1981, Nancy Reagan, began a highly-publicized anti-drug campaign, coining the slogan “Just Say No.". This campaign was the cultural, family-oriented portion of the

The just say no aggressive policing and mandatory-minimum prison sentences were key components of the campaign. The zero-tolerance approach, was a response to fears of crack cocaine epidemic. These tactics were assumed to help drive down crime rates, but also fueled a dramatic increase in the American prison population. Furthermore, African-American, and Latino citizens were more likely to be arrested for these kinds of offenses. Essential, effecting their ability to get a job, and stay out of the criminal justice system. This campaign was responsible for the evolution of DARE, the most widespread educational program operating under the just say no philosophy. DARE brought law enforcement officers into classrooms once a week to tell young people why they should stay away from drugs. Also, in 1986 the Just Say No campaign, convinced Congress to pass the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, mandating zero tolerance for any drugs or alcohol found on public school grounds. This act brought police officers into schools. Those police officers then started arresting students not only for drug possession, but also for minor school code

The war on drugs was launched as an effort to prevent and reduce substance abuse and addiction. Exclusively, focusing on white, middle-class children, and possibly demonizing others, particularly minorities. Nevertheless, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign used a different approach. This campaign “utilized volunteer talent working together against a single social problem to help young people live free of drug and alcohol abuse, and to assist parents in prevention efforts. The organization gets input from scientists, therapist, community activist, researchers, law enforcement, and offers resources for parents and teenagers.” (Wikipedia) The campaign is mixed messages of self-esteem with its typically moral depictions of the social stigma attached to drug use and encouraged all citizen especially youth to avoid drugs. The public service campaign imagery utilized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, is intended as a positive reinforcement for children who live in a nation with a severe drug problem. The campaign introduced a series of television commercials, aimed at inner-city youth. These messages take a strikingly different approach than the forceful tactics that was popular during the Reagan’s just say no era. The just say no applied negative strategies epitomized by the slogan criticism of drug use, infused with intimidation and exaggerations, that