NCJ Number
128154
Date Published
1989
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Opinions regarding drug policy in the United States are highly polarized, with the government's "war on drugs" continuing to escalate and potentially influential commentators from different political viewpoints calling the war futile and destructive.
Abstract
The war on drugs began on October 2, 1982 with a radio speech by President Reagan. The Reagan administration mobilized Federal bureaucracies and resources in a coordinated, although futile, attack on the supply of illegal drugs, mainly cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. The government also adopted stringent, punitive measures that increased governmental powers at the expense of individual liberties and the rights of criminal defendants. In fact, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 made drug crimes among the most seriously punished offenses in the United States Criminal Code. However, respected journalists and other opinion leaders have begun to oppose the war on drugs from both liberal and conservative perspectives. Pressures against the antidrug efforts are also coming from abroad. It is not yet clear whether these pressures will affect politicians and policymaking. 40 references