1850-1970 Drug Policy Essay

The majority of policies prior to 1970 were related to a more broad approach of controlling the sale and use of illicit drugs, and the policies wavered between many types. The current war on drugs has evolved from a history of prohibition style legislation that was usually targeted towards a specific sector of illegal drug use. Initially, illicit drugs, such as cocaine, were held in high regards for the perceptions of their use as medicinal supplements and treatments (DuPont and Voth, 1995, p. 461). It was only in the early nineteenth century that the public perception began to change to see drug use as detrimental to the health of society, and began to push on the government to control it.
In the years between 1850 and 1970, many targeted legislative policies were implemented. Even Prohibition was seen as targeted legislation to control drug use, though alcohol was not the only one in legislator’s sites. Laws passed included the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, the Harrison Narcotics Act, the Volstead Act provided broad brush legislation to law enforcement and other agencies to begin to provide oversight on legal and illegal drugs (DuPont and Voth, 1995, p. 462). It was a sort of social reform program that was seen as very conservative in nature, likely mirroring the majority view in that era. These policies were changed …show more content…
The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 remains the largest of all the laws, and has been amended as needed since its inception. There are two parts of this act which still govern the actions and enforcement of the federal law for both legal and illicit drug trades (Drug Use, 2014). States, however, have supplemented additional laws, which allows for additional enforcement to be enacted against it. In recent years, some states are beginning to look at the federal statutes as being out dated and