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Drug use has always been identified with marginalized populations and treated as a threat to public order rather than an issue of public health. This perception has led to its criminalization and prohibition rather than prevention and treatment (Roberts 110). In the 1970s, Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs (Crandall 144). Marijuana and heroin were categorized as Schedule 1 drugs with the harshest punishments of any controlled substances. Nixons domestic policy chief John Ehrlichman admitted these drugs were purposefully publicly associated with the antiwar left and black people as a pretext to disrupt those communities (Baum).
In 1984, Reagan increased federal penalties for drug possession and launched the advertising campaign Just Say No , propagating the idea that drug addiction results from individual failure. Crack cocaine, used mostly by African Americans, was heavily criminalized compared to powder cocaine used by the low-income white population. Drugs were presented as a moral threat to American culture but were actually used as a tool of social control, specifically targeting low-income minorities.
Recently, people have begun questioning the narrative around drug addiction and the effectiveness of government prevention measures. After forty years and a trillion dollars, the volume of drugs in the United States has remained relatively the same (Crandall 321). Overdose deaths have increased by 137%, and ballooning incarceration rates disproportionally represent black, Latino, and low-income populations (Crandall 320-321). In 2012, Latin American officials denounced the United States military counter-supply strategies for creating havoc in their fragile democracies (Crandall 324). Given the financial burden and lack of results, the consensus is that the war on drugs has brought more damage than good.
I believe Portugals progressive drug policy should serve as an example to our legislature. In 2000, Portugal decriminalized all hard and soft drugs at the recommendation of a panel of experts formed to combat the heroin epidemic. Problematic users decreased by half, and the number of people seeking treatment increased by 60% (Crandall 323). Clearly, decriminalization effectuates a positive change. Drug possession is still illegal on a federal level, but state laws are beginning to favor a more compassionate method similar to Portugal. Organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance advocate legislative reforms, for instance, sterile syringe access, establishing supervised consumption services, and drug checking. Several states have adopted the 911 Good Samaritan Law that allows people to receive emergency medical care without fear of arrest (Jakubowski et al. 233).
In 2016, California legalized the possession, cultivation, and sale of marijuana. Tax revenue was rededicated to youth programs, environmental damage clean-up, and public safety. In 2020, Oregon approved Measure 110, the first measure to decriminalize all drugs in the U.S. and use excess marijuana tax revenue to expand drug treatments. At the moment, the recreational use of cannabis is legalized in eighteen states. Overall, voters are ready for the war on drugs to end and reallocate resources to more effective programs.
In conclusion, drug prohibition was unfairly used as a tool of social control against marginalized communities. Since the 2010s, the failure of strict prohibition laws to reduce drug consumption had led to different legislative policies. If the goal is truly to decrease addiction and overdose, there needs to be a change in the social perception of drug addiction, and society needs to prioritize safety and health over punishment. The current shift in drug policy is only the first step in the right direction.
Works Cited
Baum, Dan. Legalize It All: How to Win The War on Drugs . Harpers Magazine, 2016. Web.
Crandall, Russell. Drugs and Thugs: The History and Future of Americas War on Drugs. Yale University Press, 2020.
Jakubowski, Andrea, et al. Knowledge of the 911 Good Samaritan Law and 911-calling behavior of overdose witnesses. Substance abuse, vol. 39, no. 2, 2018, pp. 233-238. Web.
Roberts, Bryan R., and Yu Chen. Drugs, Violence, and the State. Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 39, 2013, pp. 105125.
Sutton, Matt. Drug Policy Actions Measure 110 Prevails. Drug Policy Alliance, 2020. Web.
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