By: Avery Wu
Post #8
March 4th, 2023
History
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, government involvement and the regulation of drugs was minimal. A lot of drug use and drug addiction was quietly swept under the rug. But in 1909-1923, "the federal government became progressively more involved in the field as a series of important laws, court cases, and administrative decisions effectively criminalized nonmedical narcotic use." Addicts were left with very little choices for treatment with strict and unrelenting laws and policies being implemented. In the 1960s under President Kennedy, drug use started to become a symbol of rebellion among the youth, along with political disappointment among US citizens. In response, Kennedy signed the Drug Reform Bill on October 10th, 1962 to ensure safety and reliability of the drugs being sold.
After Kennedy, President Nixon was said to be heavily involved with the war on drugs. He dramatically increased the presence of federal drug control agencies along with other major accomplishments in the 70s. "The presidency of Ronald Reagan marked the start of a long period of skyrocketing rates of incarceration, largely thanks to his unprecedented expansion of the drug war." From 50,000 drug law offenses in 1980 to over 400,000 drug law offenses in 1997, the public began to feel weary and worried of what was to come in the future. Nancy Reagan fought back and created the highly publicized campaign, "Just Say No" which sparked both praise and controversy. Drug use continued to be a problem under the Bush presidency with skyrocketing numbers of opioid overdoses and deaths.
President Obama started to focus on the flaws in the justice system and treatment methods when it came to drug use and addiction. He eliminated the mandatory minimum drug sentence and started to expand access of treatment to millions instead of criminalizing individuals. President Trump believed in preventing these drugs from entering into the United States in the first place by proposing to build his famous wall on the US-Mexico border. Through the decades, drug use has continued to be a major ongoing problem for every single president in office.
Policies Today
In the twenty first century, drug use and addiction has gotten increasingly worse. With the increase of opioids along with other older drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, the government has felt the need to take action on a local and national scale. Opioids have become one of the main problems today because at times it is easier to acquire and easier to consume. H.R. 6, the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities” Act passed the House in 2018. It is designed to combat the opioid crisis by advancing treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention, protecting communities, and bolstering efforts to fight deadly illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The government recently has focused on providing treatment and help for addicts.
Fentanyl is a major contributer to opioid overdoses in recent years. In 2021, 5,722 out of 6,843 California opioid related deaths were due to fentanyl. H.R.2366, which was the "STOP Fentanyl Act of 2021", addressed data collection, treatment, harm reduction, and other issues related to substance misuse and addiction. These bills are just the first steps to the ongoing problem of drugs in America.
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