1

Chase Elggren

Mr. Gardner

Mushy Hams

10-21-21

America's War On Drugs

The abuse of drugs is something that America has always and will always

struggle with. Crime, addiction, and overdose are all firsthand problems of the drug war

in the nation. Ranging from prescribed opioids all the way to illicit drugs like cocaine and

heroin, the damage they do is catastrophic. Death by overdose of a drug or illegal

substance has recently passed gun deaths for having more fatalities per year.

According to Daniel Lee from CNBC in 2020 there were over 90,000 overdoses. The

problem keeps growing and gives each new president a different challenge. The

problem with drugs in America was first taken seriously by President Nixon in 1971.

This was when he initiated his drug policy. This led to the creation of the DEA (Drug

Enforcement Agency) in 1973. The purpose of this organization is to enforce the law

when it comes to illegal substances and prosecute criminal activities regarding drug use

and the distribution of it. Introducing the DEA drastically reduced the use of drugs in

America for about 30 years until it's gone back up in the last 2 decades. With all the

money spent on trying to reduce the trade and use of drugs, how could overall use in

the U.S. go up? This is a serious question which correlates to a much larger problem.

Are the government's attempts to fight the war on drugs beneficial to society and what

can be done to improve?

The 70s, where drugs, sex, and rock and roll ruled the world. A time where drugs

seemed to be culturally acceptable. LSD was gaining popularity and becoming

Americans psychedelic of choice. Cocaine was on the rise amongst wealthy Americans

all while the drug was presumed to be harmless. President Nixon's newly birthed DEA

was going uphill all while the use of drugs was on the downhill. Since then as mentioned

earlier drug use has been on the rise (see figure 1).

(figure 1) CNBC ¨Why U.S. Presidents Can't Win The War On Drugs¨ Youtube, 17 June

2021 [Link]

According to the graph in 1979, 6 years after the introduction of the DEA in 1973, the

total use of illicit drugs amongst Americans 12 years and older dropped over 50% in 12

years. After hitting its lowest point in 1991 it remained relatively low until 2001. As seen
 3

in the graph in 2001 drug use started to go back up until 2019. Rising back up in 2019

drug use was almost back to where it all started in 1979. This is seen as a failure by

America. Now in 2021, the government has spent over 1 trillion dollars fighting the war

on drugs since the introduction of President Nixon's policy in 1971. As well as spending

34.6 billion dollars to enforce drug policies in 2020. This compares to the near 1 billion

that was spent in 1981. It is estimated that by 2022 America will spend over 41 billion

dollars (Lee). Many see this money as going to waste in this day and age. The U.S.

shows a clear pattern of spending more and more on the enforcement of drugs as time

goes on. With history on drug use and prevention in the U.S. revealed, what has been

done in recent years?

Currently, President Biden is now the one who is faced with tackling the rising

drug abuse in America. On April 1 of 2021, the Biden administration proposed their plan

for combating the issue of drug control. The main focus of the plan is treatment.

According to Vanda Felbab-Brown from the Brookings Institution, ¨It promises to learn

from experience, including the limits of existing treatment, prevention, and harm

reduction efforts.¨ This means the proposal by the Biden Administration should be

better because it has learned from past [Link] proposal also includes how

President Biden doesn't want those using drugs to be incarcerated but instead to be

offered treatment (Felbab-Brown). This would prevent dangerous and sometimes

deadly withdrawals amongst incarcerated users. To not be thrown in jail and to be put

into a rehabilitation center where an addict can work to turn their life around offers a

more compassionate way to deal with their drug problem. This could have major

beneficial effects on people and on America. But the demand on drugs still rises. By
 4

making substances illegal and regulating more and more control on drugs this puts a

higher demand on them. With higher demands this results in more attempts to get illegal

substances into the U.S. and into the hands of those who want it. No matter how

expensive it is, addicts will do what it takes to get their fix. Drug use will continue to rise.

Proposition 36, according to Steven R. Andrade, was implemented on November

7, 2000 in California. It is now an active law as of July 2021. This new law will keep

people caught for nonviolent drug possession out of jail. It will defer them from jail and

into treatment centers. On the other hand if it were to be a violent conviction then jail

time will ensue (Andrade). The law can also give someone accused of drug possession

the right to have a legal defense against your charges. This can be seen as a success

by the state of California as it will keep more people out of jail and prison. Although this

is not a nationwide policy it is a start to a possible change in America. If it were to be

applied to the entire country it could have a beneficial effect by helping citizens. It will

help for people to get into treatment centers instead of jail cells, as well as allow for

others to have fair legal help. As reported by Claire Hansen on October 4, 2021 there

are now nineteen states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This

reduces the amount of crime associated with the drug. When legal, people caught with

marijuana (a common drug) won't be put in jail, therefore resulting in the state spending

no money incarcerating them. The state can also tax the sale of it which can be a large

money grab. With the decriminalization of marijuana spreading across the country and

becoming more common this can be seen as a step forward in this long lasting war.

With our leaders continuously changing policies in the past 50 years to try and prevent

drug abuse, what new solutions can be made for an old problem?
 5

I believe the government's attempts to win the war on drugs have failed and are

not beneficial to society. I say this because through all my extensive research for my

question of if the government is benefiting society or not, I can firmly say, no. I say this

strongly due to the fact that we are at the same spot as we were almost 50 years ago.

The amount of money the government spends on enforcing drug laws grows each and

every year which is in sync with the growing amounts of overdoses per year. Drug use

and drug overdose are both climbing, this leads me to believe the government is failing

and losing the war on drugs. This doesn't necessarily mean it's all over however. To

answer the second part of my question, what can be done to improve, I have two

solutions to propose. First, safe injection sites. Safe injection sites have been

implemented into Europe and I think it should be brought overseas into our country. A

safe injection site is a place where addicts can go with their drug of choice free of

prosecution and get a safe high. Within the injection site there will be government

workers who will supply safe clean needles to users. Supplying addicts with clean

needles will also help to stop the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C. In the injection site

their drugs can be tested to make sure the substance isn't laced. According to the

NOVA Recovery Center in Texas, injection sites will help lower the amount of overdoses

as well as raise the amount of adicts put into rehab (Shehan). Injection sites will offer

easier access to treatment centers for those who want it. Secondly, I believe

decriminalizing the use of drugs can set a path for people to make a change. Making

them legal can save money for the government since we will now spend less on trying

to control it, also the government can tax the sales of drugs. Lastly, bringing the use of

drugs out of the shadows can create an opportunity for those people to reach out for
 6

help. Someone using drugs can be scared to ask for help due to the fear of being

prosecuted for the use and possession of them. Decriminalizing drugs will make it

easier and more acceptable for addicts to seek help.

The war on drugs is a long lasting struggle of the governments, and as of now it

doesn't seem to have an end in sight. Starting under President Nixon in 1971 America

now sees itself right where it was at the beginning. One take away can be that the

government is trying to help in ways that don't benefit society and the people in it.

Therefore causing the problem to get increasingly worse. America can not resolve this

ongoing problem unless new actions are taken. For example, safe injection sites and

decriminalizing drugs. To conclude, after hefty research America is hurting society by its

attempts to win this war and will continue to fail unless something new is done.
 7

Works Cited:

Andrade, Steven R. “What Is Prop 36 Diversion in California?” Andrade Law Offices, 30

Sept. 2021, [Link]/what-is-prop-36-diversion-in-california.

CNBC ¨Why U.S. Presidents Can't Win The War On Drugs¨ Youtube, 17 June 2021

[Link]

Felbab-Brown, Vanda. “Biden Takes a Reformist Drug Strategy, but the Challenge of

Supply Countries Remains.” The Brookings Institution, 19 Apr. 2021,

[Link]/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/04/19/biden-takes-a-reformist-drug-stra

tegy-but-the-challenge-of-supply-countries-remains.

Hansen, Claire, and Horus Alas. “Where Is Marijuana Legal? A Guide to Marijuana

Legalization.” US News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 30 June 2021,

[Link]/news/best-states/articles/where-is-marijuana-legal-a-guide-to-marijua

na-legalization.

Lee, Nathaniel. “America Has Spent over a Trillion Dollars Fighting the War on Drugs.

50 Years Later, Drug Use in the U.S. Is Climbing Again.” CNBC, 17 June 2021,

[Link]/2021/06/17/the-us-has-spent-over-a-trillion-dollars-fighting-war-on-drugs

.html.
 8

Shehan. “Safe Injection Sites: Are They Helping or Hurting?” Nova Recovery Center

Near Austin Texas, Nova Recovery Center, 18 Oct. 2021,

[Link]/addiction/safe-injection-sites.