Back الحرب على المخدرات Arabic War on Drugs German Πόλεμος κατά των Ναρκωτικών Greek Milito kontraŭ la neleĝaj drogoj Esperanto Guerra contra las drogas Spanish جنگ با مواد مخدر Persian Huumeiden vastainen sota (Yhdysvallat) Finnish War on Drugs French המלחמה בסמים HE Թմրամիջոցների դեմ պատերազմ Armenian

War on drugs

For other uses, see War on drugs (disambiguation).

War on drugs

A U.S. government PSA from the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration with a photo image of two marijuana cigarettes and a "Just Say No" slogan
DateJune 17, 1971 – present
(52 years, 10 months, 1 week and 3 days)
Location
Global
Status Ongoing, widely viewed as a policy failure[2][3][4][5]
Belligerents

 United States

Allies of the United States
 United Nations

Drug traffickers

Drug users [note 1]

The war on drugs is the policy of a global campaign,[6] led by the United States federal government, of drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the United States.[7][8][9] The initiative includes a set of drug policies that are intended to discourage the production, distribution, and consumption of psychoactive drugs that the participating governments, through United Nations treaties, have made illegal.

The term "war on drugs" was popularized by the media shortly after a press conference, given on June 17, 1971, during which President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse "public enemy number one".[10] He stated, "In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive. [...] This will be a worldwide offensive. [...] It will be government-wide [...] and it will be nationwide." Earlier that day, Nixon had presented a special message to Congress on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, which included text about devoting more federal resources to the "prevention of new addicts, and the rehabilitation of those who are addicted", but that aspect did not receive the same public attention as the term "war on drugs".[11][10][12][13]

In the years since, presidential administrations have generally maintained or expanded Nixon's original initiatives, with the emphasis on law enforcement and interdiction over public health and treatment. Cannabis presents a special case; it came under federal restriction in the 1930s, and since 1970 has been classified as having a high potential for abuse and no medical value, with the same level of prohibition as heroin. Multiple mainstream studies and findings since the 1930s have recommended against such a severe classification. Beginning in the 1990s, cannabis has been decriminalized in 38 states, and legalized in 24, creating a policy gap with federal law.

In June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy released a critical report, declaring: "The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world."[6] In 2015, the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for an end to the war on drugs, estimated that the United States spends $51 billion annually on these initiatives; in 2021, after 50 years of the drug war, estimates of cumulative US spending reached a trillion dollars.[14][15]

As of 2024, the war on drugs continues, with a focus on fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Haase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Mann, Brian (June 17, 2021). "After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'". NPR.
  3. ^ Lopez, German (January 30, 2017). "How the war on drugs has made drug traffickers more ruthless and efficient". Vox. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Scherlen, Renee (January 4, 2012). "The Never-Ending Drug War: Obstacles to Drug War Policy Termination". PS: Political Science & Politics. 45: 67–73. doi:10.1017/S1049096511001739. S2CID 153399320 – via Cambridge Core.
  5. ^ Doward, Jamie (April 2, 2016). "The UN's war on drugs is a failure. Is it time for a different approach?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "War on Drugs: Report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy". Global Commission on Drug Policy. June 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2024. The global war on drugs has failed. When the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs came into being 50 years ago, and when President Nixon launched the US government's war on drugs 40 years ago, policymakers believed that harsh law enforcement action against those involved in drug production, distribution and use would lead to an ever-diminishing market in controlled drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis, and the eventual achievement of a 'drug free world'. In practice, the global scale of illegal drug markets – largely controlled by organized crime – has grown dramatically over this period.
  7. ^ Baum, Writer Dan. "Legalize All Drugs? The 'Risks Are Tremendous' Without Defining The Problem". NPR.org. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  8. ^ Cockburn and St. Clair, 1998: Chapter 14
  9. ^ Bullington, Bruce; Block, Alan A. (March 1990). "A Trojan horse: Anti-communism and the war on drugs". Crime, Law and Social Change. 14 (1): 39–55. doi:10.1007/BF00728225. ISSN 1573-0751. S2CID 144145710.
  10. ^ a b Mann, Brian (June 17, 2021). "After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'". NPR. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Richard Nixon: Special Message to the Congress on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control". Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  12. ^ "Nixon Calls War on Drugs". Palm Beach Post. June 18, 1971. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Dufton, Emily (March 26, 2012). "The War on Drugs: How President Nixon Tied Addiction to Crime". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  14. ^ "Drug War Statistics". Drug Policy Alliance. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  15. ^ Mann, Brian (June 17, 2021). "After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'". NPR. The campaign  – which by some estimates cost more than $1 trillion  – also exacerbated racial divisions and infringed on civil liberties in ways that transformed American society.


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