Nancy Regan War On Drugs

Ronald Reagan was not only a master of foreign policy, but was also skillful with his domestic policy as well, such as his handling of illegal drug use within the United States. Reagan began his administration’s “war on drugs” in October 1982 (Glass). On that date he declared that illegal drugs and their production and transportation were hurting America (Glass). From then on, he made it clear that his administration would act against illegal drugs, and would do what it could to stop their influence. Congress, Reagan’s Vice President George H.W. Bush, and even his wife all put forth great contributions to the fight against illegal drugs. Ronald Reagan began to take action of his own in September 1986 when he helped to put forth and effectively pass Executive Order 12564 (Drug-Free Federal Workplace). The order was intended to create a drug-free work environment for every worker in America, and made it the law to not use drugs while at a workplace (Drug-Free Federal Workplace). Also, he signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 into law (Anti-Drug Abuse Act). The Anti-Drug Abuse Act created different types of minor and major penalties for drug offenses, and also created the

The War on Drugs had hopes of ending drug possession and usage in the 1971 when president Nixon signed the Drug Prevention and Control Act. Through the years, many people have criticized the war for its failures, and others have commended it for its success. Some people want harsher penalties for drug usage and possession, while others want all drugs to become legal. Although the War on Drugs seems to be a solution to a hot button issue, it has many negative effects, including its ineffectiveness, increase in prison population, and high cost.

In the the 80s, drugs such as cocaine plagued less affluent poor neighborhoods. During Reagan's presidency arrests were at a all time high due his unexpected expansion of the war on drugs. While Reagan enacted the “War on Drugs”, Nancy Reagan, his wife was a main leader in the war. She started the “Just say no” campaign which targeted middle class white people. Reagan in 1986 signed The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 which invested close to 2 billion dollars to fighting drugs. At the end of the decade President Bush created Office of National Drug Control Policy which sought to increase awareness about

The Reagan presidential campaign, ‘war on drugs’ happened to be one of the key reasons for the collapse of the government run prisons, as the campaign was effective in arrests and might have been one of the causes of overcrowding in prisons. The core motive for Reagan’s presidential campaign to wage a ‘war’ on drugs had been a consequence of the presumption that minorities were corrupting the moral stature of the American dream (Barak, 2007). The administration was one of the first reasons for the shift from government run to private prisons. The movement to campaign to exclude drugs from America was run between the years of Reagan’s presidency (1981 to 1989) and continued onward by other presidents (Price, 2006). The legislations that had

Richard Nixon has declared war on drugs in 1971. He announced to the Americans that America’s public enemy number one is drug abuse. Drug users are everywhere from their own homes, schools, communities, courts, jails, hospitals and prisons. Those who use drugs have nothing to good gain, it only causes problems. Children are neglected or abused, innocent civilians are robbed or even killed for money to buy and obtain drugs. Most eventually end up imprisoned for few years to live.

By the time President Bush came into office, drugs were the biggest issue on his table. By the time Reagan left there we about 20 to 30 million people on drugs . Heroin was now getting popular and brought to national stage as crack cocaine replaced cocaine in middle class families . He created the Office of National Drug Control Policy to help “deformalized” social drug use and help fund treatments . But sadly, like most drug policy it was on the back of everybody's mind and didn’t even count for ⅓ of the whole budget . This plan would have worked if it wasn’t for the millions of poor communities that suffer from drugs constantly to ignored. He did lessen drug use in upper or middle-class white communities but the poor were using it more than

The United States has focused its efforts on the criminalization of drug use. In June 1971, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs.” He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants. . The War on Drugs has been a centerpiece of American foreign and domestic policy. The rhetoric of war shaped the impact of methods. Not only does war require military strategies, but an enemy as well. In this case it was easy to construct African Americans and people of color as the enemy in the War on Drugs. These are the groups that the majority of white Americans have always viewed as the source of crime. President Reagan’s anti drug rhetoric was skillfully designed to tap into deeply held cultural attitudes about people of color and their links to drug use and many other illicit behaviors. While the professed enemies of the War on Drugs were drug cartels in drug source countries, the most affected were people of color in inner city neighborhoods, mainly African Americans. Thus, the social and economic mobility of Black Americans has suffered collateral damage from the War on Drugs and damages the upward mobility of the African American communities.

Popple & Leighninger, L. (2011) affirms that the “War on Drugs” was a phrase coined by Pres. Richard Nixon in 1971. His campaign included prohibition, foreign military aid, and military intervention.

For forty-five years the United States has been battling the prohibition of drugs, but despite intense law enforcement attempts and millions of dollars spent, the “War on Drugs” continues to be fought today. On June 17, 1971 Nixon named drug abuse as “public enemy number one” and declared this long lasting war. On October 27, 1986, Reagan provided $241 million for drug treatment. Despite the large amount of money toward treatment, Reagan contradicted his efforts when he allowed for $97 million to be used toward building new prisons, and when he created mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses that included at least 10 years

The War on Drugs has been an ongoing affect ever since the Civil War introduced the drug morphine to the world. In the years since people have been coming up with drugs more lethal than morphine such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and so on and so forth. The War on Drugs is dangerous and leads to many deaths throughout the years. America has set up agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other drug task force teams throughout the United States. Even though we may not be able to catch all the drug dealers the United States drug teams has put a tiny dent into this ongoing black market run by cartels and even the smaller drug dealers. In this essay, we will see the effect it has on the United States, the way

But it wasn’t until the 60’s when, “drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent,” ("Brief History of the Drug War | Drug Policy Alliance," 2016). This upheaval of marijuana smoking put a bad taste in societies mouth. In 1971 the Reagan administration declared a “war on drugs”, which is still in full force today. “He (Reagan) dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants,” ("Brief History of the Drug War | Drug Policy Alliance," 2016), which is what influenced further division between society and the government. In 1972, a commission Reagan appointed proposed to decriminalize marijuana to focus on the more elicit drug types. Reagan ignored the proposal completely. “In 1977 Jimmy carter was inaugurated on the campaign platform that included decriminalization. In October of 1977, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce for personal use,” ("Brief History of the Drug War | Drug Policy Alliance," 2016). Decriminalization would allow users to smoke for personal use, but there were not many enforced regulations to keep it out of the hands of the youth in America. Within just a few years, parents were too concerned with increased rates of teen marijuana use, and

To many, selling or using drugs equates to violence and brings harm to loved ones, children especially. These people want to completely get rid of drugs like heroin, cocaine, marijuana, etc. The War on Drugs started in 1971 by President Nixon and continues today with a growing presence of the Federal Drug Administration. Economists have proven the War on Drugs to have more unintended consequences than intended benefits, causing the government to take steps backwards in reducing drug use and distribution—unintended consequences, such as a supply-side drug war that gives incentives to dealers, denying consumers of their rights and better health conditions, and causing regular Americans and society to pay for it, while increasing crime rates altogether.

money. Effective treatment programs will become major components of sustainable change, as it is the only realistic long-term solution to addiction. The mere threat of government sanctions, including death, has never eliminated addiction to any drug in any country in recorded history.

I am a student at The University of Rhode Island researching the war on drugs campaign. It is to my understanding that during the 1970’s Richard Nixon declared the first ever “War on Drugs”. Alongside other political figures who supported this campaign, a bill was created specifically for the War on Drugs which was called the “Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970”. The purpose of this bill was to “Amend the Public Health Service Act and other laws to provide increased research into, and prevention of, drug abuse and drug dependence; to provide for treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers and drug dependent persons ; and to strengthen existing law enforcement authority in the field of drug abuse.” (GPO). I am assuming

The most obvious function of drug control, and the primary reason lawmakers cite is to reduce the amount of a specific drug that is used (Mc Neece, & Dinitto, 2012 pg. 203). However societal regulation appears to be motivated by which drugs are stable sources of wealth and power and whether drugs may threaten established business and profit. As a result, federal policies are for more concerned with preventing recreational drug use than helping addicts. According to the “ The War on Drugs Winners and Losers “ Ronald Regan introduced the self- perpetuating never- ending war on drugs and in the process generated funding for the third- largest growth industry in the united states (U.S.). In addition funding for drug treatment dropped