Ronald Reagan Just Say No Speech Analysis

On September 14, 1986, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan delivered their “Just Say No” address to the nation. Reagan warned parents against drug dealers who were “plot[ting]...to steal our children’s lives.” This speech came after several years of President Reagan’s administration's War on Drugs that utilized the media and congressional and military action to reduce drug use. His administration created a “national crusade” that treated drug use as an attack on society that required a military reaction. Ronald Reagan’s crusade had the consequence of creating a climate for discriminatory congressional legislation and law enforcement.
Ronald Reagan and his administration manipulated the public's understanding of the drug problem