NCJ Number
112455
Date Published
1987
Length
384 pages
Annotation
This text examines the history and evolution of narcotics laws and the political and social climate that shaped them from the 19th century to the present.
Abstract
Special attention is focused on the cyclic pattern of tolerance and restraint in American attitudes toward drug use. In the 1880's, opiates were welcomed as an ideal tonic, and large numbers of Americans became addicted. By 1890, this image of drugs had altered. By 1900, cocaine and opiates had come to be viewed as dangerous drugs; subsequently, their use declined largely as a result of disillusionment with initial claims about the drugs and growing awareness of the effects on individuals and their families. The first major national narcotics law, the Harrison Act of 1914, was intended to curb recreational drug use and nonmedical addiction. Contemporaneous with growing concerns about the drug problem were the imposition of State and local controls on narcotics, a search for a cure for addiction, and the establishment of narcotics clinics. In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established, international antidrug activities were initiated, and controls on cannabis were implemented. Between World War II and 1970, strong legal sanctions against drug abuse were established. Strong reactions to sanctions eventually yielded considerable responsibility for control to physicians and mental health professionals. Between 1965 and 1980, toleration of drug use increased, along with calls for legalization of marijuana and methadone maintenance. Since 1980, the cycle has reversed, with a rise in the intolerance of drug use. Notes and index.