Regulation Vs Prohibition
Efforts to fight drug use in America date back to colonial times. Every single drug that has made its way into our country has been the subject of government restriction. Therefore, every branch of our federal government has been involved in dealing with the drug problem in our society. The two ways of dealing with drug problems are regulation and prohibition. Regulation involves imposing taxes and restriction on a particular drug. Regulation is intended to increase the cost of the drug hoping to decrease its use without criminalizing it. On the other hand prohibition makes it illegal to sell or use a particular drug, because to do so would incur a criminal charge and jail time. Each state as well as the federal government has laws against
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In 1930, Herbert Hoover created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics whose duty was to police drug use. This agency was well known for vigorously prosecuting drug crimes. Then in 1971, President Richard Nixon declared “War on Drugs.” Because many of our young American soldiers were bringing drugs back from Vietnam, Nixon proclaimed drugs as “public enemy number one.” Under President Reggan the government’s slogan became “just say no” to drugs or face criminal charges. However, Nixon’s War on Drugs while encompassing education, treatment, enforcement and prosecution would end up costing American taxpayers more than $50 billion a year. In the 1980’s, the prison population greatly increased due to stiffer penalties for drug related crimes President Bill Clinton advocated treating drugs abusers instead of putting them in jail. However, after just a few months in office, he had reverted to previous drug war strategies. President George W. Bush allocated more money than ever to the war on drugs and even appointed a drug czar, John Walters. The Bash administration established an increase in domestic drug law enforcement. Then when President Obama took office, he began advocating for reforms. His policy was to increase treatment programs for drug users rather than incarcerating them. President Obama believes we can have a future where “drug policies are shaped by science and compassion rather than political hysteria.” (“A Brief History of the Drug
In 1930, Herbert Hoover created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics whose duty was to police drug use. This agency was well known for vigorously prosecuting drug crimes. Then in 1971, President Richard Nixon declared “War on Drugs.” Because many of our young American soldiers were bringing drugs back from Vietnam, Nixon proclaimed drugs as “public enemy number one.” Under President Reggan the government’s slogan became “just say no” to drugs or face criminal charges. However, Nixon’s War on Drugs while encompassing education, treatment, enforcement and prosecution would end up costing American taxpayers more than $50 billion a year. In the 1980’s, the prison population greatly increased due to stiffer penalties for drug related crimes President Bill Clinton advocated treating drugs abusers instead of putting them in jail. However, after just a few months in office, he had reverted to previous drug war strategies. President George W. Bush allocated more money than ever to the war on drugs and even appointed a drug czar, John Walters. The Bash administration established an increase in domestic drug law enforcement. Then when President Obama took office, he began advocating for reforms. His policy was to increase treatment programs for drug users rather than incarcerating them. President Obama believes we can have a future where “drug policies are shaped by science and compassion rather than political hysteria.” (“A Brief History of the Drug