Thank Nixon and Reagan for the war on drugs

[ProSense]

June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the United States, and has contributed to making America the world's largest incarcerator. Throughout the month, check back daily for posts about the drug war, its victims and what needs to be done to restore fairness and create effective policy.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/justice-served

<...>

The drug arrest rate per 100,000 was at about 250 in 1980 before shooting up to more than 500 in 1989 as the Reagan-era drug war blossomed. The arrest rate dipped to around 400 in the early 1990s, but went over 500 in 1994 and has remained above that mark ever since. After declining slightly in 2002, arrest rates steadily increased at mid-decade, going over 600 in 2005, 2006, and 2007, before sliding under 600 in 2008 and declining slightly since then.

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/nov/09/us_drug_arrest_rate_dropping_sti

http://stopthedrugwar.org/speakeasy/2011/feb/22/politics_incarceration_will_have

[villager]

1. Gee, maybe a Democrat promising "change" would end such absurd, damaging policies....

n/t

[ProSense]

2. Yeah, let's hope.

It's gone on much too long.

[piratefish08]

10. such absurd, damaging, PROFITABLE policies. that evolve into campaign donations......

just follow the money.

[former9thward]

3. The War on Drugs is insane and unfortunately completely bi-partisan.

The 1984 Sentencing Reform Act was passed by a Democratic congress and the incarceration curve appears steepest during the Clinton administration.

[ProSense]

4. Yeah,

"The 1984 Sentencing Reform Act was passed by a Democratic congress and the incarceration curve appears steepest during the Clinton administration. "

...they passed his tax increases too. Still, it was Reagan who was responsible for "just say no" and "zero tolerance."

[Warren Stupidity]

5. And Carter, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama.

Bipartisan idiocy.

[ProSense]

6. Imagine

"And Carter, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama. Bipartisan idiocy."

...if Nixon hadn't started down this road and Reagan hadn't escalated it.

Are you going to suggest that Carter or Clinton would have?

[cherokeeprogressive]

7. Escalated? Questionable in Clinton's case. CONTINUED it? Yes.

Unnecessarily? Yes.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Alternate histories are a dime a dozen and worth every penny.

The facts are that this has been and is bipartisan idiocy with each party routinely trying to outdo each other in draconian bullshit.

And there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I would but they've been out of office and dead for years now.

Thanks for the thread, ProSense.

[NNN0LHI]

11. I don't blame Nixon and Reagan for that

I blame the idiots who voted for them.

Don

[Logical]

12. This is Basically a post to try to revove any blame from obama for...

Continuing the WAR! Nice try!

[ProSense]

13. Yeah,

"This is Basically a post to try to revove any blame from obama for..."

...pointing this out will change the whole dynamic of the discussion.

Here's something else I just learned:

Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled drug. This status prohibits its use by anyone and prohibits physicians from prescribing it for patients. Until February 1992, there was a little-known loophole that allowed a handful of patients legal access to this medicine: the Investigational New Drug (IND) Program administered by the Food and Drug Administration. Unfortunately, in February 1992, U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Louis Sullivan, MD, closed this access to all new applicants, as well as to more than 30 patients who had been approved for having access to this medicine but had not yet received their supply. Only 10 patients who had been approved and already were receiving their medicine have been allowed continued legal access to this drug.

Various theories attempt to rationalize the government's prohibition of this drug/plant: As an efficient fuel, it presented competition to the oil industry. As a durable natural fiber, it presented competition to the synthetic fiber industry; in fact, Levi's jeans originally were made of hemp. "Reefer madness" hysteria was created in the 1930s by Harry Anslinger of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which eventually evolved into the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Use of the Mexican name of the cannabis plant, marijuana, was popularized by the Hearst newspaper chain to scare the public into believing that there was a new and dangerous drug being introduced to American youth by black musicians and Mexicans. The act of bigotry insinuated that the use of this drug would lead to insanity or acts of violence such as rape or murder. The result of this media blitz was the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which marked the beginning of marijuana's prohibition (Herer, 1991).

More: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=653079

Looks like Bush Sr's administration had a hand in making access to medical marijuana much harder.