The War on Drugs

1

Objective: SWBAT• Examine the history of drug law in the US • Explain the similarities between Marijuana prohibition and

alcohol prohibition • Analyze the necessity for marijuana prohibition

2

Drugs in America• Cocaine, opium, and marijuana • For centuries they are used as

medicines and tonics• Particularly during the Victorian Era

• 1875 San Francisco banned smoking opium• A practice common among Chinese

immigrants in the city• It was more about racism than the drug

3

The Harrison Act • 1914• First attempt by the Federal Government to regulate the use

of opium and cocaine • Not a ban• A tax• Tax the collectors and distributors • It was a crime to sell without registering and paying the tax • Prescriptions were legal, but feeding the cravings were not

• By the 1930’s most states had banned the sale of the drug • People used it less• But a black market was created

4

Marijuana • Herb used for thousands of years• Widely cultivated in the US during the 19th century• “recreational” marijuana use would not become prevalent in

the US until the 20th century• During prohibition, marijuana became a cheap, legal,

substitute for alcohol

5

Harry Anslinger• Head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics • Led the crusade to prohibit marijuana

• This was part of a larger, older, crusade against intoxicating drugs• Suspected other motivations• William Randolph Hearst, publisher, wanted to

eliminate hemp as a competitor to paper • Some accuse Anslinger and Hearst of forging

the links to marijuana, insanity, crime, sex and racism • Anti-marijuana attacks were often hinted with

racial and violent overtones 6

Marijuana • The Marijuana Tax Act (1937)• First attempt to control Marijuana • Again, just a tax • Declared unconstitutional • If it was illegal in the state then paying the tax exposed you to

state laws• 5th amendment

7

The 60’s• Little was significantly done about drugs in the 40’s• WWII

• But as the nation suburbanized soon drug use among richer, white, youth began to be noticed

• The Counterculture of the 60’s furthered this identity• The Beatniks• The Hippies

• The drug Abuse and Prevention Act 1970• The controlled Substances Act • Established the “Controlled Dangerous Substances” laws

• Anyone in possession, selling, or with the intent to sell faces sometimes serious felony charges 8

9

The Marijuana Controversy • Marijuana Violations are nearly half of all the drug related

arrests in the United States• A vast number of the are for possession alone

• Studies show that 37% of Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once in their life

• Still widely available • 2013 • The states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the

recreational use of Marijuana • It is still illegal to sell, but one can own, grow and use

10