NCJ Number
102956
Journal
Time Dated: (September 15, 1986) Pages: 58-73
Date Published
1986
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Two articles trace the history of drug abuse in America and responses to it, focusing on the prospects and difficulties of the Reagan administration's war on drugs.
Abstract
Opium use has been documented in B.C. cultures, and has had varying degrees of use in many cultures since, usually following a cyclical pattern of use and nonuse. Drugs such as marijuana and cocaine have been used in America from colonial times, with opium use being widely tolerated after the Civil War, followed by a backlash against drug abuse in the early 1900's. The underground drug culture persisted into the 1950's and was then largely embraced by the 1960's youth generation. The mid-1970's saw an increase in cocaine use, which has remained constant since 1979. Heroin use has remained stable for about 15 years. The Reagan administration has mounted a war on drugs on five fronts: border interdiction, enforcement efforts against dealers, employer drug testing of employees, drug treatment programs, and drug prevention programs. Border interdiction and other law enforcement efforts have made dents in the drug supply but not so as to significantly affect drug abuse. Drug testing of employees presents constitutional privacy issues and the difficulty of ensuring the reliability of the tests. Drug treatment is long, costly, and complex, and there is still debate about the most effective methods. School drug education programs beginning at a young age offer the promise of deterring potential new users by informing them of the dangers of drug abuse.