The “War” on Drugs: Narcotics, Neglect, and New Policy

• The Term “War on Drugs” was coined during the Presidency of Richard Nixon

Introduction

• Who was the “War on Drugs” against?

• Who were the victims of this war?

• What should I know as a survivor?

Public InterestInterest Group

Law Enforcement

Why Declare the War?

What did Prohibition teach

us?

Laws regarding Crack & Cocaine

were disproportionate

*100:1 Ratio*

Minorities & Women were the most incarcerated

populations of this war

Penalties included lose of the following:

VotingProperty

Financial Aid

Is It Over?

Fair Sentencing Act

2010

War on Drugs

Public Health Issue

Release Programs

for Drug Offenders

Amount spent annually in the U.S.

on the war on drugs: More than $51,000,000,000

Number of people arrested in 2011 in

the U.S. on nonviolent drug

charges: 1.53 million

Statistics show African Americans as 14% of the drug using population but 37% of the drug arrested

offenders

Number of Americans

incarcerated in 2009 in federal, state and local

prisons and jails: 2,424,279 or 1 in every 99.1 adults,

the highest incarceration rate

in the world

Number of students who have

lost federal financial aid

eligibility because of a drug

conviction: 200,000+

Thank You for Your Time