I personally find it interesting that drugs are coming from all over the globe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, with the US as the primary 'market'.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
War on drugs timeline
The war on drugs has been going on for longer than I had imagined. This article from 'NPR' lays out a timeline of the war on drugs. Within the timeline there are interesting pieces about drug cartels and their strategies, US policy, and even early decriminalization of marijuana. The article is from 2007 but takes us into the opioid crisis.
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I find this timeline interesting, and I also find interesting the fact that major addresses done in regards to drug trafficking are always centered around foreign actors that the US tends to view as "inferior" or as some sort of burden. Additionally, as you mention, the war on drug has started since the 1970s with the war on crack. Yet, because the users mostly black (or at least portrayed so), the response was one of criminalization and increased policing. Now, if we think of the route of the Opioid Crisis, we ought to mention Big Pharma, but politicians fail to do so because Big Pharma funds a lot of political campaigns, and politicians enable them to pursue their profits.
ReplyDeleteInteresting timeline! What stood out to me the most was the increase in incarcerations in the United States. If one takes a look at the U.S. State and Federal Prison Population graph from 1925-2015 one can notice the drastic increase of the population starting in 1970. Demonstrating the population since 1925, the number of people imprisoned were under 200,000. Shifting to 2015, the population rose to 1,476,847. As stated by the Sentencing Project it has been roughly a 500% increase making the U.S. the leader in incarceration. I believe part of this increase was led partly by the increase in criminalization that had bipartisan support that advocated for certain legislations that shifted towards a more intensified law enforcement and enhancing sentencing laws at the federal level. While I believe they had in mind that by enhancing such punishments there would be a reduction in crime, it seems that in a way the U.S. was just abusing their power to try to incarcerate as many victims as possible. Given that their support focused in intensifying enforcement and law sentences, a change in legislation that would have been an alternative to reduce the criminalization and incarceration would be to shift the fundings into sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers that were able to provide assistance to such victims of drug abuse and crime.
ReplyDeleteSentencingProject.Org (https://sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Trends-in-US-Corrections.pdf)
-I have attached a link to a website that shows the 1925- 2015 U.S. State and Federal Prison Population graph. It also demonstrates various trends in the U.S. Corrections.
I definitely found this timeline very interesting. It reminded me of a documentary I watched on Netflix titled "13th," which talked extensively about Nixon's presidency and his War on Drugs. It also talked about the racial implications of the legislation he introduced, particularly in the mandatory minimums for cocaine versus crack. Crack, which was primarily abused by Black people had much harsher mandatory minimums than Cocaine, which was primarily abused by White people. Overall, the timeline was very informative and intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThe timeline is somewhat eye opening. Much of the focus of the war on drugs seems to be on placed on people of color. This is evident in the criminalization of certain drugs versus reduced sentencing for other drugs primarily used by white Americans. Another thing I find interesting, is how the flow of drugs transforms throughout time, reacting to government policies and attempts to reduce drug use. It seems as though trying to completely stop drug use only creates new doors for the drugs to come through. Should we not be looking towards more treatment options rather than criminalizing and fighting a war against drugs?
ReplyDeleteOct. 1986: "Possession of crack, which is cheaper, results in a harsher sentence; the majority of crack users are lower income."
DeleteGreat point on how fighting the war on drugs is a big issue to take on (e.g. creates new doors for drugs to come through) and how other solutions should be sought after. The supply of drugs are large, but helping to reduce the demand of drug-abusers (treatment) could help combat this crisis.
Today on NPR I heard that the U.S. attorney general is making the drug Nalaxone used to reverse the adverse effects of opioids more accessible. I think this is one move in the right direction, as a lot more lives can be saved using Nalaxone.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I wonder is at what point will medications cease being the issue? First the problem was big pharma, now it will become Nalaxone to counter the effects of opioids. How do we get to the root cause of the problem?
It is crazy to see how big this market is. I wonder how or even if law enforcement can find the root/underlying causes of this issue. Could prioritizing treatment over criminal justice reach the real cause of the opioid crisis: drug addiction? I think there has to be a balance between treating those affected and stopping the trafficking of drugs through law enforcement.
ReplyDelete