The War On Drugs And America Essay - 1573 Words

The war on Drugs played a heavy role in minority American society. It affected policing and most importantly the American minority people. The war on drugs started by President Nixon and up until President Bush was a disaster that affected America with high incarceration and high recidivism rates for low level and non-violent drug offenses that mainly targeted minorities in America. The war on drugs was a massive American failure that mainly affected minorities. President Obama and his drug reform alongside the American public’s strong opinion to switch towards marijuana reform which we see in places like Colorado and Washington has caused the war on drugs to lose steam. The American public’s decision for drug reform is no surprise after nearly 40 years of the unsuccessful war on drugs. The war on drugs brought the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world, mandatory minimum sentences, and racial disparity in our criminal justice system. The war on drug s greatly affected the way policing works in America. Policing and racism have always intertwined in America but the war on drugs fueled it. As a result minorities were the most affected by policing. During the war on drugs funding for police departments rose to support it, Cooper (2015) reports that a 2012 study done by lynch states that â€Å"between 1992 and 2008 state and local departments expenditures on police doubled from $131 per capita to $260 per capita† (p. 1189) This increase in law enforcementShow MoreRelatedThe Drug War Of America1407 Words   |  6 PagesThe drug war in America has shaped our society into what we know it as today, the war has so far been a failure where hundreds of millions of dollars, workforce, and policies have only served to maintain the same rates of usage as those in the 1970’s. When the drugs hit America, they hit hard. Overwhelmed by drugs showing up in almost every town, America decided to declare war. Drugs first surfaced in the late 1880’s with Opium. Opium at the time was the most in demand drug choice. Opium comes fromRead MoreWar On Drugs And America2460 Words   |  10 PagesWar On Drugs Fifteen billion dollars. The possibilities of things to do with fifteen billion dollars are endless. Some may use this towards college. Others towards health care facilities. Some may even use this hefty amount to renovate homes and still be left with a fortune to spare. All in all, the average American would use this currency toward benefit life in some way or another. The U.S Federal government wished the same when they used these fifteen billion dollars towards the â€Å"War on Drugs†Read MoreWar on Drugs in America Essay991 Words   |  4 PagesHuemer: â€Å"America’s Unjust Drug War† In the essay â€Å"America’s Unjust Drug War† by Michael Huemer, Huemer discusses the facts and opinions around the subject on whether or not the recreational use of drugs should be banned by law. Huemer believes that the American government should not prohibit the use of drugs. He brings up the point on drugs and how they harm the users and the people in the user’s life; he proves that the prohibition on drugs in unjust. Huemer believes that drug prohibition is an injusticeRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Its Effects On America1065 Words   |  5 Pagesdeclared drug abuse public enemy number one, initiating an unprecedented global campaign, the War on Drugs. Today, the War on Drugs is a huge failure, with devastating unintended consequences. It led to corruption, violence, and mass incarceration. It negatively affected the lives of millions of people. All of this while we waste billions of dollars every year only to create and fuel powerful drug cartels. This glo bal conflict has to end. The core strategy of the War on Drugs is to eradicate drugs andRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs Essay1299 Words   |  6 Pagesserved time in prison for his connection in the Watergate scandal, the Drug War was â€Å"intended to disempower the anti-war and black rights movements in the 1970s.† It’s no secret that drug use in the United States has been a problem. Many Americans have struggled with addiction to some of the worse drugs. Many lives have been affected in some of the most terrible ways. It can be easily said that due to America’s history with drugs that former president Richard Nixon noticed the problem and felt thereRead More America And The War On Drugs Essay1216 Words   |  5 Pagescountries with problems. Why does America care about what is happening in other countries like Columbia, when they have their own problems with drugs? The Untied States of America has a rather large drug trafficking problem but compared to Columbia it is fairly small. To help Columbia solve their problem the U.S. senate has decided to send troops over there and take control. This new involvement will have many consequences in and what can you make for instance the cost of a war, the loss and gain of jobsRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs1306 Words   |  6 Pagesas eugenics. One of the primary focuses of America s War on Drugs has always been the controversial drug Marijuana. In the early twentieth century, Henry Anslinger became the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics where he remained between 1930-62. Anslinger’s campaign was driven primarily by racism. He convinced the public to believe Blacks were negative influences in society and negatively associated African Americans with the drug. Anslinger made heavily racist remarks such asRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs1539 Words   |  7 Pages On June 17th, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse to be â€Å"America’s Public Enemy #1† in a press conference in which he called for an â€Å"all out offensive† against this enemy, an initiative that would later be known as America’s War on Drugs. By giving this speech, thus starting â€Å"The War on Drugs,† President Nixon created what would eventually become one of the most catastrophic fa ilures in United States political history. Analysis of the historical events surrounding Nixon’s declarationRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs2885 Words   |  12 PagesRunning head: AMERICA’S WAR ON DRUGS 1 America’s War on Drugs: A Battle against Drugs or a display of Racial Intolerance? Sharon Curry-Robinson, Duval County Court Bailiff Florida Gulf Coast University â€Æ' America’s War on Drugs 3 Abstract It was surprising to learn that, while the United States makes up just five percent of the world population, over twenty-five percent of the world’s detainees are from the United States. Yes, at a projected figure of moreRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs2030 Words   |  9 PagesThe â€Å"War on Drugs† has been a hot topic for several decades in the United States. The argument for the success of this campaign usually varies depending on one’s political affiliation. The government handled the ongoing campaign differently with each new administration taking command, most of them having no little success. The fact of the matter is that the ideal of a â€Å"drug free civilization† is far from reality. The world is coming to terms that the various drug-fighting programs across the world