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Over the past four decades, America through its policymakers has enacted numerous
counterproductive substance abuse policies primarily aimed at drug prohibition. However, these
systems share common grounds as they rely on law enforcement agencies such as criminal
justice system in taming consumption of certain drugs. Besides, the counterproductive measures
are addicted to the notion of abstinence as the only alternative approach to treatment and
actions have remained costly, punitive, overwhelmingly failing to meet the intended outcomes.
As a result, many social scientists and elites have converged that drug menace is a global
phenomenon that needs to be eliminated from the society in the interest of the greater good.
Literature Review
Undoubtedly, drugs first surfaced in U.S. after the civil war, which made Opium popular
in the 1800s. Afterward, other stimulating substances such as cocaine and coca that were used in
drinks and health remedies followed the suit. Drugs performed different functions depending on
the prescription provided. In particular, the country first discovered morphine in 1906, which
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was used for medicinal purposes. On the other hand, heroin and cocaine were prescribed to treat
respiratory illness and manufacture of soft drinks respectively. However, the country witnessed a
heightened awareness that abuse of psychotropic drugs such as opium and cocaine had a high
potential for causing addiction. Subsequently, the local government implemented measures to
In fact, the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 envisaged and compelled all
physicians to label their medicines accurately. In addition, being the first federal drug policy in
the United States, the Harrison Narcotics Act restricted the production and sale of cocaine,
heroin, marijuana, and morphine. The enforcement of this policy resulted in the prosecution of
more than 5,000 physicians and pharmacists who violated the provision of the Act
(Thoumi, 2003). More importantly, the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics molded
substance policy, representing tenure where substance abuse was increasingly criminalized with
hiked penalties for marijuana use. It is worth noting that the Narcotics Control Act of 1956
ensured repressive and punitive legislation ever adopted by Congress with all discretion to
suspend sentences. As a result, only first-time drug offenders were confined in parole. On the
contrary, anyone selling heroin to minors could be invoked with a death sentence.
Thomson (2015) explains that despite the incarceration policies and billions spent to
reduce the menace, illegal drugs remain cheap, potent, and readily available with continued
persistence on its impact. For example, the racial disparities and overcrowding of prisons are
some of the effects associated with substance abuse. In line with this, the birth of a radical
movement in 1960 had popularized drug use. In short, the demand for drugs in America
skyrocketed in the 1960s, consequently leading to the enactment of the Narcotics Addict
Rehabilitation Act in 1966. President Nixon struggled to formulate a unified drug policy in a bid
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to maintain the American safety along the streets and ensure that the countrys education system
outline the dangers of the drug of substance addiction. It is during this period that the United
States was flooded by cocaine from Colombia under the control of Pablo Escobar (Mosher &
Akins, 2007).
To another end, the creation of Drug Enforcement Agency during President Nixons
tenure aimed at controlling the flow of narcotics into the countrys territories. Remarkably, the
head of state authorized advertisement campaigns alongside tougher law to put foreign cartels
engaging in this form of illegal trade. By 1994, studies revealed that around one million people
had been jailed in America following the violation of narcotics laws (Mosher & Akins, 2007).
However, it is important to note that drug abuse has reduced significantly in the U.S. with
The funding of experimental methadone programs failed to realize its expected outcome
forced President Carter to propose for the decriminalization of marijuana in 1977, which yielded
the same results as the former. In extension, Clinton earmarked a small budget of $1 billion in
1995 to fund initiatives supported by the governments drug policy. Remarkably, Congress
significantly shaped the countrys drug policy by shifting towards prevention and rehabilitation
In 2011, America justice enforcement agencies approximately 1.5 million drug arrests
and those arrested were put in confinement with their bank accounts being frozen without any
trial. Furthermore, the country now incarcerates more offenders in both absolute and per capita
terms as compared to the rest of the world. This means that nearly 25% of the United States
population are incarcerated for violating drug laws, statistics that is ten times those arrested back
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in 1980 (Webster, 2003). In other words, the current drug policies disproportionately influence
communities of color.
Moreover, racial disparities in the justice system impede the achievement of the expected
benefits of the drug regulation. In other words, the disproportionate concentration of law
among drug users have increased drug-related deaths in urban areas. Overwhelmingly, these
inequalities in drug law enforcement and mass incarceration has contributed to extreme rates of
HIV infection among the people of color. From this perspective, a drug-free America remains an
unrealistic goal. Therefore, policymakers should take alternative and bipartisan measures, which
treat substance abuse as a health concern instead from a criminal justice viewpoint
(Thompson, 2015).
According to Mosher and Akins (2007) failures associated with the criminal justice
system in the means that the country clearly needs an exit strategy to mitigate challenges of drug
both human and fiscal terms to the American population. It is for this reason that setting a new
bottom line in the countrys drug policy becomes necessary. In fact, such policy should focus on
finding solutions as opposed to exacerbating that was synonymous with the failed approaches
over the last 40 years. When implemented, these programs would ensure better economy,
measured in terms of reduced death, crime, and disease rates. Hence, grading of health providers
should be based on the ability to improve the overall wellbeing of citizens. Similarly, law
enforcement policies should be ranked and allocate equivalent funds on the capacity to maintain
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safe and free society. For instance, as Velten (2002) underscores, diverse states like California,
New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, New York, and Kentucky are now focusing on reducing public
wastages, racial inequities, promoting democracy abroad, and reducing poverty as the dynamic
Unfortunately, the current war on drugs faces financial constraints because of the
logistics involved in prosecuting and detaining offenders of the same. In the contemporary
American society, more budget allocation is reserved for the construction of schools and prisons
for rehabilitation purposes. For instance, in 1998 alone, the federal government allocated $ 16
billion to the programs meant to fight drug-related problems. Mosher and Akins (2007) argue
that the amount is astronomical because the returns on such mechanism did not go along with the
effort. Taken together, all the approaches to drug abuse have failed to realize their goals of
education, prevention, and treatment of victims, hence the need to sought alternatives. It is for
this reason that legalization though seems immoral and ridiculous, at the very least, deserves
consideration. Without an immediate fix to the current problem, then the United States will
Conclusion
Overall, from the history up to date, the United States policy substance abuse has failed
to achieve its goals and objectives for education, prevention, and rehabilitation of victims. This
has called the policymakers to consider alternatives approaches in this regard. Disparities in the
criminal justice of the country have undeniably failed to solve drug-related problems but instead
promoting discrimination against the people of color. This implies that macroeconomic problems
such as poverty, employment, and crime rates remain high and, thus posing threats to
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rehabilitation programs in America. Therefore, without an immediate fix to the same, then the
References
Mosher, C. J., & Akins, S. (2007). Drugs and drug policy: The control of consciousness
Thompson, O. (2015). Drug policy and intergenerational income mobility in the United
Thoumi, F. E. (2003). Illegal drugs, economy and society in the Andes. Washington, DC:
Velten, E. (2002). A history of addiction & recovery in the United States. International Journal
Webster, P. (2003). Learning from history: A review of David Bewley-Taylors the United States
and international drug control, 19091997. International Journal of Drug Policy, 14(4),
343-346.