Drug Policy

Throughout American History, minority groups have been no stranger to structural and institutional racism, whether it be through blatantly racist policies such as The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Jim Crow Laws, or Japanese Internment during World War 2, or through more discrete micro-racist projects such as employment discrimination, education discrimination, and unjust treatment by individuals in society. After the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, the concept of equality for all individuals under the law and in society had come into fruition in the United States, however, there was a different problem with nothing stopping its growth – drug use and abuse. As David Presti mentions in his lectures about drug regulating, the growing …show more content…
The Growth in popularity of drugs was immediately noticed by the Federal Government, and, eventually led to Richard Nixon’s declaration of the war on drugs. Although a “war on drugs” sounds just at first glance, the war on drugs started by Richard Nixon was far from just, and caused many minorities to face a subtler, yet equally destructive system of racism in the United States. The policies that were put in place during the war on drugs created a system of structural racism in the policing and criminal justice system that has led to the cultural, social, and economic dislocation of many minorities over the past fifty years. Only by looking at drug History in the United States up until the War on Drugs, Drug policy in the United States through today, as well as the results of such policies can one truly understand the extent of discrimination and racism hidden within drug enforcement since the War on …show more content…
Before the 20th century, drugs faced virtually no government regulation as they were still new to the United States, and their effects were not completely understood. The Pure Food and Drug Act, however, changed this in 1906 by requiring physicians to accurately label all “medicines,” or products containing drugs. By making the drug content of many of the products people used visible, the law caused drugs to be viewed as potentially dangerous by much of the public. As this fear, drug awareness, as well as drug use spread throughout America, the increase of drug regulation was inevitable, and in 1915, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed, regulating the sale and distribution of marijuana, cocaine, morphine, and heroine. This policy was strictly enforced, however, targeted physicians and pharmacists rather than users, and, in the 1920’s, led to the arrest of many physicians for prescribing regulated drugs to addicts. In 1930, the Bureau of Narcotics was created and became the head government agency in concert to drug regulation. Leading this new agency was Harry J. Anslinger, a racist who vehemently fought against marijuana during his entire career, even going so far as saying, "There are 100,000 total marijuana