Bertram, Blachman, Sharpe, & Andreas. Drug War Politics: The Price of Denial

Reinarman & Levine. Crack in America

Zimmer and Morgan. Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts

Section 1: Discussion of the Problem

1. The history of drug policy began in 1969 under the presidency of Richard Nixon. Nixon was looking for a way to decrease crime in the Washington D.C. area. He felt that drugs caused violent behavior and to lower crime, you need to decrease drug use. Marijuana laws went into effect. These laws were used to lock up people that the police didn't want on the street instead of rather than to make an impact on stopping the use of drugs. Blacks, hippies, and teens were targeted. Nixon felt that drugs are bad, so bad people do drugs. While heroin was surfacing and becoming the big drug, Nixon ruled marijuana as being relatively safe, however illegal. He also legalized the methadone clinics, enabling users who wanted to become clean to do so at the government and taxpayer's expense.

Jimmy Carter saw drug use as a health problem. While Carter wasn't very active in the drug war, small amounts of drugs we

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