History on the War on Drugs Essay - 1788 Words

English 41461 October 26, 2010 History of the War on Drugs The war on drugs has been an ongoing fight that many presidents and foreign allegiances have tried to stop the trafficking, distribution and use of illegal drugs into the United States and around the world. Policy and laws have been created and maintained and changed to try and prevent illegal drugs being made in other countries as well as the United States and from being brought across the borders into the United States. The punishment for the drug traffickers and users has been an issue with the campaign to stop illegal drug use and trafficking. Through the United States history the president’s and their administration have been focusing on how to deal with the war on drugs†¦show more content†¦Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) was initiated in schools all over the United States in 1983 to inform students about the effects drugs cause and to make children and their parents more aware of the drug problem in the U.S. (Frontline). Un der Reagan, the federal prison population doubled. Young offenders and non-violent drug users were sent to Special Alternative Incarceration boot camps, where they were brainwashed with yet more anti-drug propaganda, to undermine their subversive attitudes. The President declared the War on Drugs to be one of the major achievements of his administration, while the international narcotics trade thrived and cannabis prices sky-rocketed. Then in July 1984, the Washington Times published a story about DEA informant Barry Seal’s infiltration of the Medellin cartel’s operation in Panama. The story showed that Nicaraguan Sandinistas were involved in the drug trade. As a result of Seal’s evidence, a Miami federal grand jury indicts Carlos Lehder, Pablo Escobar, Jorge Ochoa and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha. In February 1986, Seal is killed in Baton Rouge, LA., by a gunmen hired by the cartel (The Washington Times). For the first time Colombia extradites the drug traffick ers to the U.S. in 1985. Then the U.S. officials discover that the Medellin cartel has a â€Å"hit list† which included embassy members and their families, U.S. businessmen and journalists (NPR).Show MoreRelatedEssay History of the War on Drugs900 Words   |  4 Pageswith the nonmedical use of drugs (wisegeek). The war of drugs started primarily in the 1971 when Nixon declared the war on drugs. He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies (Drug Policy). 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