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Olivia Morton

Professor Ketzer

English 1201.519

15 November 2019

War on Drugs

When thinking of the phrase “War on Drugs,” people tend to think of the 1980’s crack

epidemic. Though we know today there is a continuing epidemic with opioids. The war on drugs

movement began in 1971 when president Nixon declared drugs public enemy number one. When

crack cocaine use sored in the 1980’s, efforts were catapulted into high gear. In a way, America

wasn’t ready for the amount of destruction this one drug caused in such a quick amount of time.

Crack cocaine is not the only epidemic we have fought throughout history such as, the battle

against opiates. There has always been a fight against addiction and different ways people have

tried to stop this problem. Interestingly, the legal acts to stop the use of substances began as early

as the 1800s. It has only been in recent years that the awareness of addiction being a disease is

becoming accepted into society. Now, a person diagnosed with substance use disorder must meet

certain criteria for a certain length of time per the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders 5 (2013). Some criteria include, using more than expected to, the inability to stop, the

strain on social relationships, and overwhelming cravings to use. This new awareness has come

with new treatment for people with this disease. Unfortunately, I do not believe we can

contribute this little bit of success to the war on drugs movement. The war on drugs movement

was ineffective on drug epidemics because a lack of treatment programs/prevention,

criminalizing the disease of addiction, increasing stigma among minorities, and financial strain

on our country.
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Drug treatment programs and prevention is a broad term of many different approaches

and therapies. There are several forms of treatment and preventions I would like to explore that

birthed from the war on drugs era; medically assisted treatment (MAT), prevention education,

and interdiction/eradication programs.

First, MAT treatment which stands for medically assisted treatment is using substances

under the watch of medical professionals to help the addicted person abstain from their drug of

choice. Though, MAT treatment is an evidence-based practice, it is often used as a substitute

from one drug from another and is not an ideal way for a person to recover from drug addiction.

Methadone assisted treatment began in 1972 when the Federal Drug Administration approved its

use. It was used to help individuals get off of opioids. Methadone is still in use today with only

more restrictions on its use. Individuals receiving this treatment must travel to a clinic every day

to receive a dose and if this is not done, withdraw will take place as with opioid use. Methadone

is in fact an opioid itself. Recovering addict of 15 years and author, Del Pizzo states, “A shot of

heroin or a bottle of methadone keeps withdrawal symptoms at bay for 24 hours—they're

interchangeable. But addicts want more than just to feel normal. They want to get high” (Pizzo).

This statement is a held belief across many recovering addicts. If it is just a form of substitution,

is MAT treatment “helping” anyone? Individuals get just as sick as they would if they were using

other forms of opioids. According to SAMHSA, “Even after the effects of methadone wear off,

the medication’s active ingredients remain in the body for much longer. Taking more methadone

can cause unintentional overdose” (Lynne). If there is a longer withdraw from methadone and

can become as lethal as opioids, how is this a viable solution? For most addicts, going through

withdraw is the one thing they avoid the most, by any cost. The CDC reports methadone being

one of the top three substances that has caused 35% of opioid overdose deaths (“Overdose
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Deaths Involving Prescription Opioids”). Methadone doesn’t seem to be a safe option and kills

individuals as equally as other opiates. The methadone maintenance program is only one model

of treatment tried in the war on drugs movement.

Next program birthed from the war on drugs era was prevention programs. Prevention

programs are important to society then and now. They don’t only target addiction issues. In a

perfect world, we would want to stop an addict from ever picking up a substance, rather than

trying to manage the problem once it's started. However, D.A.R.E., the program that received the

most funding and push from the government was highly ineffective. The program began in 1983

in attempts to “teach” children about drugs and the effects. The US Department of Justice

concluded that D.A.R.E. has "Small effects on drug use, and is significantly less successful at

preventing drug use than other programs” (“Is the D.A.R.E. program good for Americas kids

k-12?”) Given the loads of information that this program is ineffective, it is still used today

and was pushed through America’s televisions. This gave parents during this time period a

false sense of security, thinking their children were learning or being prevented against

becoming an addict. The “Just say no” slogan is well known in America, but this is an

oversimplified way to prevent drug use. D.A.R.E.’s new “Keepin’ it Real” curriculum is used

to, “...teach youth to control their impulses and think about risks and consequences resulting in

more responsible choices” (“Education Curricula”). This would imply that addiction or substance

abuse is caused by a lack of willpower to say no. Most addicts would never continue to use

despite the consequences if it was a matter of saying no. Prevention would mean, what are the

reasons people make the decision to use despite the consequences. Once that is identified, work

on the core issues that are associated with drugs/alcohol use.

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The use of interdiction and eradication programs would be on the other end of the

problem. The goal of these programs is to attack the substances themselves. The problem with

these programs is it is ineffective against the drug problem as a whole and turns the drug trade

into a game of whack a 'mole. One article states;

“For example, in a 1995 statement to the Subcommittee on National Security,

International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, Committee on Government Reform and

Oversight, U.S. House of Representatives (1996:61), Lee Brown, then director of the

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), stated:

Let me now talk about what we know works in addressing the drug problem.

There is compelling evidence that treatment is cost-effective and provides significant

benefits to public safety. In June 1994, a RAND Corporation study concluded that drug

treatment is the most cost-effective drug control intervention” (qtd. in Manski et al.).

The efforts spent trying to fight the drug cartels and smugglers is energy wasted. The efforts

could be directed at treating the problem itself. If there is no one to buy the drugs, then no one

would spend the time smuggling or manufacturing the drugs. The Drug Enforcement Agency

was formed in 1973 to begin the interdiction efforts. One article from Stanford University states,

“Every effort the U S government has made at interdiction since Operation Intercept has at most

resulted in a reorganization of the international drug trade. Heavily monitored drug routes have

been rerouted” (“The United States War on Drugs”). This proves that no matter how many crops

are burned, or smugglers caught, there will always be drugs. The amount of demand there is for

these substances will bring new crops and smugglers as soon as one goes down.

When thinking about growing crops and smugglers, one automatically thinks criminal.

However, individuals with substance use disorder does not immediately make them a criminal.
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In 1977 President Carter attempted to loosen the regulations on certain substances. He felt that

punishment should not be worse than using the drug itself (“The United States War on Drugs”).

Though, Carter professed this view on drugs, it was not followed up by a change in policies.

Carter put his efforts into funding more interdiction/eradication programs. According to the

Federal Bureau of Prisons, over 45% of prison population today is incarcerated due to drug

offenses. This equates to over 74,000 Americans (see Table A).

Statistics based on prior month's data -- -- Last Updated: Saturday, 26 October 2019

Offense # of Inmates % of Inmates

Banking and Insurance, 379 0.2%
Counterfeit,
Embezzlement
Burglary, Larceny, 8,189 5.0%
Property Offenses
Continuing Criminal 330 0.2%
Enterprise
Courts or Corrections 715 0.4%
Drug Offenses 74,222 45.2%
Extortion, Fraud, 10,047 6.1%
Bribery
Homicide, Aggravated 5,286 3.2%
Assault, and
Kidnapping Offenses
Immigration 10,250 6.2%
Miscellaneous 1,103 0.7%
National Security 50 0.0%
Robbery 5,687 3.5%
Sex Offenses 16,743 10.2%
Weapons, Explosives, 31,299 19.0%
Arson

Table A Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons

There are twelve offences listed on this table and drug offenses are almost half the population.

When the individuals who are put in prison are housed with other criminals. This atmosphere is

not conducive for anyone to quit using drugs or to learn how to stay stopped.
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Next, the issue of stigmatization upon addicts that heightened in the mid-eighties and is

closely related to criminalization. Stigmatizing drug addicts has caused a downward spiral that

even effects today’s epidemic. On the documentary “American Drug War,” it shows the images

that were broadcasted to American’s televisions, over and over again.

Source: Kevin Booth, American Drug War.

Pictures like the one above is images that were seen all throughout the country. This gave

Americans the idea that people with the disease of addiction were “bad” people. The stigma was

that people who continued to use drugs despite the consequences were morally flawed.

Americans would see pictures like these and wonder how a person could do such a thing. When

these images were shown on the news, they were mostly of minority groups. During the 80’s

crack cocaine began to be known as the “black mans” drug. According to the NAACP, “African

Americans and whites use drugs at similar rates, but the imprisonment rate of African Americans
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for drug charges is almost 6 times that of whites.” This debunks the theory that African

Americans are more likely to use drugs. Hispanics were also targeted during this time, along

with the poor. Very rarely was a wealthy white male shown smoking crack cocaine. This held

stigma and belief was confirmed when president Nixon put punishments on carrying crack

cocaine 100 times harsher than powder form. From then to current, powder cocaine has been

glorified and looked as the “rich mans” drug. Unfortunately, the stigma still lingers today. With

limited news coverage of people recovering from this disease and showing the destruction and

consequences.

The destruction of the war on drugs comes to full fruition when speaking about the

financial strain it has put on the U.S. The war on drugs has cost the United States more than it

has saved lives. The D.A.R.E. program cost 33 billion dollars on marketing the slogan “Just say

no.” (Press). As mentioned earlier, the D.A.R.E. program was ineffective in preventing drug use

amongst adolescence. The government continues to fund the D.A.R.E program, after significant

proof that the curriculum in ineffective. Interdiction and eradication cost 69 billion dollars to

intercept drugs at the border. It takes 571 billion dollars to incarcerate nonviolent drug offenders

(Press). The money spent on these three strategies of drug control is money thrown away.

Incarceration is not an effective means to help stop drug epidemics, then or now.

Many would argue that if it wasn’t for the war on drugs movement, society wouldn’t

have made as much progress in treatment programs. Author William White writes, “[From 1964-

1975] The insurance industry begins to reimburse the treatment of alcoholism on par with the

treatment of other illnesses. This leads to a dramatic expansion in private and hospital-based

inpatient treatment programs” (10). Before this time there was treatment for substance abuse, but

most individuals had to pay out of pocket for the expense. This was not an option for most
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Americans during this time. Especially, knowing substance abuse disorder affects poorer

communities the most. Every year during this time period was great advancement in the clinical

field. Drug and alcohol counselors were gaining their own place in the medical field and were

able to get education. This is an important time in history for drug and alcohol treatment.

However, much of the progress went unnoticed in the height of the war on drugs era.

America wasn’t getting education that substance abuse is a disease. In this point in history, most

medical professionals would not recognize substance abuse as a disease. It wasn’t until 1987 that

the American Medical Association recognized substance abuse as a disease (White, 15). During

this same time period the government switched its focus from treatment to incarceration, despite

previous evidence of a medical disorder.

In conclusion, we have made progress as a society in fighting addiction. However, we

cannot give our gratitude to the war on drugs movement. It should be common sense to know

that if one is diagnosed with a disease, the person needs treatment. The prevention

programs/treatment, incarcerations, labeling the ill as morally corrupt, and throwing good money

after bad makes it apparent that the war on drugs was unsuccessful.
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Works Cited

Booth, Kevin, director. American Drug War. Www.youtube.com, Gravitas Ventures, 12 Aug.

2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD3snUVJiQE.

“Criminal Justice Fact Sheet.” NAACP, http://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.

Del Pizzo, Barbara. "Methadone Is Not an Effective Treatment for Heroin Addiction." Addiction,

edited by Jennifer A. Hurley, Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010103226/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=0ef

7421a. Accessed 31 Oct. 2019. Originally published as "An Addict Against Methadone,"

Wall Street Journal, 13 Nov. 1998.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. American Psychiatric

Publishing, 2013.

“Is the D.A.R.E. Program Good for America's Kids (K-12)?” ProConorg Headlines,

https://dare.procon.org/.

Lynne.walsh. “Methadone.” SAMHSA, 30 Sept. 2019, https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-

assisted-treatment/treatment/methadone.

“Overdose Death Maps.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2019,

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing/overdose-death-maps.html.
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Press, Associated. “AP IMPACT: After 40 Years, $1 Trillion, US War on Drugs Has Failed to

Meet Any of Its Goals.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 27 Mar. 2015,

https://www.foxnews.com/world/ap-impact-after-40-years-1-trillion-us-war-on-drugs-

has-failed-to-meet-any-of-its-goals.

Qtd. Manski, et al. “Introduction.” Assessment of Two Cost-Effectiveness Studies on Cocaine

Control Policy., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1999,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223997/.

Table A. “Federal Bureau of Prisons.” BOP Statistics: Inmate Offenses, 26 Oct. 2019,

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp.

“The History of D.A.R.E.” D.A.R.E. America, 2017, https://dare.org/history/.

The United States War on Drugs, Stanford University,

https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/htele.html.

White, William. “Addiction Treatment and Recovery.” Williamwhitepapers.com,

http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/AddictionTreatment&RecoveryInAmerica.pdf .