Reagan's Drug Policy

The topic of alternate policies to the U.S. Drug War has always been an interesting and thought provoking topic for me. Over nearly the past four decades, the U.S. government, along with state and local agencies, have spent billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of man hours, and many lives with little to show for stopping the flow of drugs into or the use of drugs in this country. The only true outcome from these expenditures and all of this enforcement are more robust resupply networks, more refined and potent drugs, deepening psychological issues, and alienating specific aspects of American society.
The Colonial or Moralist view considers the drug user to be sinful and morally defective. The drug itself is not the problem. The moralist’s drug policy entails punitive measures for users. Drug use is a crime. Reagan’s “zero tolerance” policy on drug use is an excellent example of a moralist drug policy.

Second, the Temperance view considers the drug itself, as an addictive substance and the cause of addiction.

The supply of drugs is a public hazard. According to the temperance view, drug policy should focus on drug smugglers and drug dealers as the root of drug addiction. U S drug policy has largely been influenced by the temperance view of addiction.
Third, the disease concept views addiction as being a treatable disease. Neither the drug user, nor the drug supplier is responsible drug addiction. The disease concept calls for a drug policy that focuses on drug treatment and rehabilitation. Clinton, for example embraced the disease concept and increased funding for treatment programs.

https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/htele.html

There has to be a more efficient way to deal with the issues that are plaguing this country. There must be a way to treat the underlying issues that are causing individuals to turn to drugs in the first place, instead of treating the symptom drug abuse. There is an entire world that is dealing with this same problem, but few countries making any lasting effect. As a country we need to reexamine our own basis for imposing drug laws, study our history for parallels to today’s issues, and analyze successful countries doctrines to see if their principles could be applied to a U.S. populous.
Acts that started a war
To understand how we got to the point we are currently at, we need to know why we started down this particular path. Just as no single document or law is made perfect for all time, the U.S. drug code grew as our country grew in size and adapted to new issues and societal changes.

Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, 1914
Terry, C. E. (1915, June). THE HARRISON ANTI-NARCOTIC ACT. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1286619/

Woodrow Wilson, President; December 1914, Public Acts of the Sixty-Third Congress of the United States

Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, 1914- An Act To provide for the registration of, with collectors of internal revenue, and to impose a special tax on all persons who produce, import, manufacture, compound, deal in, dispense, sell, distribute, or give away opium or coca leaves, their salts, derivatives, or preparations, and for other purposes. Those who are lawfully engaged in making purchases of the above-named drugs for hospitals or prisons therein shall not be required to register and pay the special tax as herein required.