History of the War on Drugs
- 1906- Pure Food and Drug Act: required products to be labeled and list the products contained in it to combat misleading drug labels
- 1914- Harrison Tax Act: regulated and taxed the production, importation and distribution of opiates
- 1930- The Federal Bureau of Narcotics, operating under the U.S. Treasury Department, had come into existence under the leadership of Harry Anslinger
- 1937- Marihuana Tax Act taxed the sale of marijuana although it did not criminalize it
- 1938- Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act: used to oversee food, drug and cosmetics safety and replaced the Pure Food and Drug Act
- 1951- The Boggs Act: " strengthened the enforcement of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and the Narcotic Drug Import and Export Act of 1922 by enforcing harsh penalties on individuals convicted of drug law violations." (Rothwell)
- 1956- The Narcotic Control Act: "increased the penalties and mandatory minimum prison sentences outlined by the Boggs Act of 1951 and introduced the death penalty for certain drug offenses" (Cameron and Dillinger)
- In late 1960s recreational drug use becomes fashionable among young, white, middle class Americans. The social stigmatization previously associated with drugs lessens as their use becomes more mainstream. Drug use becomes representative of protest and social rebellion in the era's atmosphere of political unrest.
- 1968- Burea of Narcotices and Dangerous Drugs is founded and is the predecessor of the DEA
- 1970- Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act: the federal government took a more active role in drug enforcement and drug abuse prevention. Includes Controlled Substances Act which created 5 categories or "schedules" of drugs.
- 1970- The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is founded by Keith Stroup. The group lobbies for decriminalization of marijuana.
- 1971- Nixon declares drug abuse "public enemy number one"
- 1972- The Nixon Administration creates the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) to establish joint federal/local task forces to fight the drug trade at the street level.
- 1972- U.S. and French law enforcement initiate a series of successful busts of the "French Connection," a Marseilles-based heroin industry controlled by Corsican gangsters and the U.S. Mafia. The results are soon evident in a heroin shortage on the U.S. East Coast. ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War")
- 1973- The addition of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to the federal law enforcement apparatus was a significant step in the direction of a criminal justice approach to drug enforcement. The DEA consolidates agents from the BNDD, Customs, the CIA and ODALE. (Head)
- 1975- Colombian police seize 600 kilos of cocaine from a small plane at the Cali airport--the largest cocaine seizure to date. In response, drug traffickers begin a vendetta--"Medellin Massacre." 40 people die in Medellin on one weekend. This event signals the growth and new power of Colombia's cocaine industry, headquartered in Medellin. ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War")
- August 1976- Families in Action is formed as the first parents' organization designed to fight teenage drug abuse
- 1978- The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act is amended to allow law enforcement to seize all money and/or other things of value furnished or intended to be furnished by any person in exchange for a controlled substance and all proceeds traceable to such an exchange (Head). This allowed law enforcement agencies to increase their own budget simply by taking the cash, cars, and homes of people suspected of drug use and/or sales (Alexander, 2010). This led to police departments having an interest in the profitability of the drug market.
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< Depiction of George Jung (Johnny Depp) confronting Carlos Lehder (Jordi Molla) in the 2001 movie Blow
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- July 11, 1979- A deadly shootout between Colombian traffickers in broad daylight at Miami's Dadeland Mall brings the savagery of the Colombian cocaine lords to the attention of U.S. law enforcement ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War")
- 1982- Panamanian General Manuel Noriega and Pablo Escobar cut a deal which allows Escobar to ship cocaine through Panama
- March 9th, 1982- The seizure of 3,906 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $100 million wholesale, from a Miami International Airport hangar permanently alters U.S. law enforcement's approach towards the drug trade. They realize Colombian traffickers must be working together because no single trafficker could be behind a shipment this large,thus, raising U.S. awareness of the Medellin cartel. ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War)
- 1982: "Just Say No" was an anti-drug slogan coined by Nancy Reagan
- 1986- Death of rising basketball star, Len Bias, due to cocaine overdose was misreported as a crack overdose and led to the Antidrug Act of 1986 which established a 100:1 ratio for mandatory minimums associated with cocaine/crack cocaine.
- February 3rd, 1987- Carlos Lehder is captured by the Colombian National Police at a safe house owned by Pablo Escobar in the mountains outside of Medellin. He is extradited to the U.S. the next day. On May 19, 1988 Lehder is convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 135 years. ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War")
- 1989- President Bush appoints William Bennett to lead the new Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). As drug 'czar' he campaigns to make drug abuse socially unacceptable, an approach he calls denormalization. Federal spending on treatment and law enforcement increase under Bennett's tenure, but treatment remains less than 1/3 of the total budget. (Head)
- April 14, 1989- A congressional subcommittee on Narcotics, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy, chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-MA), finds that U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking were undermined by the Reagan administration's fear of jeopardizing its objectives in the Nicaraguan civil war. The report concludes that the administration ignored evidence of drug trafficking by the Contras and continued to provide them with aid. ("Thirty Years of America's Drug War")
Essentially, Reagan allowed the flow of drugs into the country by Contra's so that they could get the funds from drugs that he was not allowed to give to their cause outright. - November 17, 1993- President Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement, which results in an enormous increase in legitimate trade across the U.S.-Mexican border. The volume of trade makes it more difficult for U.S. Customs officials to find narcotics hidden within legitimate goods.
- 1994- Senator Joe Biden's Omnibus Crime Bill included a provision allowing for the federal execution of drug kingpins, it indicated that the War on Drugs had ultimately reached such a level that drug-related offenses were regarded by the federal government as equivalent to, or worse than, murder and treason. (Head)