War On Drugs And The American Society - 2206 Words

Ashly.E. Jose HIST 380H Crime and Punishment in Modern America Ashley. C. Johnson May 11,2016 War on Drugs and the American Society The idea of what constitute a crime, or which acts are legal and illegal have been changed over the course of time. For example, marijuana is a drug that been used for medical as well as recreational purposes. Today it is considered legal in many states, whereas in 1900s. it was illegal. This is one of many examples that shows that there have been changes made to the American policies and also how society’s views have changed over time. Changes in our viewpoint can be attributed to the advancement in technology as well as the living conditions and the economic conditions that lead to a change in our country’s policy. If we look at the history of our country, we can see that we went through a lot of wars. Riots, disasters, natural calamities, poverty, unemployment are some of the issues that the country has faced over the years, and it overcame those several challenges and many others. However, there is this one war in particular that we have been fought for the past 40 years: The War on Drugs declared by President Richard Nixon in 19711. In 2011, the Global Commission of Drug Policy declared that, â€Å"the War on drugs has failed.2† How could this have happened? 1) Johnson Lecture, Timeline on War of drugs 2) Johnson Lecture, Punitive America Timeline What lead to the failure of the War on Drug? To answer that we need to know about the War onShow MoreRelatedThe War On Drug: Reasons Behind The Criminalisation of Drugs and Functions of Crime In Society1255 Words   |  6 PagesThe War On Drug: Reasons Behind The Criminalisation of Drugs and Functions of Crime In Society The history of the War on Drugs in the United States can be traced back to 1914 with the Harrison Act, the first recorded law to ban the domestic distribution of drugs, as the cornerstone of the criminalisation of drugs in America (McNamara, 2011). However the popularisation of the criminality of drug use was when President Richard Nixon coined the term ‘War on Drugs’ in 1971 (Provine, 2011, p.45). ThisRead MoreIs The War On Drugs?1252 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscussing is the War on Drugs. I will discuss the War on Drugs in relation to mass incarceration and to what consequences the War on drugs has caused among people and society itself. I have always been interested by the War on Drugs. However, slowly realizing, I only knew so much about the issue. As I further researched I learned what the term, â€Å"War on Drugs† really means. The â€Å"War on Drugs† is about the prohibition of drugs in society. Therefore, I strongly believe that the Drug War is a ve ry controversialRead MoreThe War On Drugs By Richard Nixon1684 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"War on Drugs† is a term which was popularized by Richard Nixon after his declaration that drug abuse is the first problem to solve. So this term means an American campaign of prohibition of drugs, military aid and military intervention, and other actions to stop the illegal drug trades. Every country has its own methods on fighting drug abuse. Cultural practices and systems have an impact on this part of society’s life. The War on Drugs has contributed the cross cultural differences to the modernRead MoreThe Controversy Over The Drug War958 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen increasing trends of incarceration, specifically in relation to the use and possession of illegal drugs. In 2010, there were 1.6 million people arrested for drug related offenses, which is approximately 1 person every 19 seconds. The majority of the arrests, however, are for possession of small amounts and are minor offenses (Criminal Justice Fact Sheet, NAACP). The controversy over the drug war is the element of concentration in cities, consistently in underprivileged neighborhoods, resultingRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs1539 Words   |  7 Pages On June 17th, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse to be â€Å"America’s Public Enemy #1† in a press conference in which he called for an â€Å"all out offensive† against this enemy, an initiative that would later be known as America’s War on Drugs. By giving this speech, thus starting â€Å"The War on Drugs,† President Nixon created what would eventually become one of the most catastrophic failures in United States political history. Analysis of the historical events surrounding Nixon’s declarationRead MoreEssay about The Counterculture899 Words   |  4 Pagesmany effects on the American society. The visual appearance and lifestyle of the hippies were in sharp contrast to the conservative nature of the older generation, which defined them as a counterculture. The hippie lifestyle was based on free love, rock music, shared property, and drug experimentation. They introduced a new perspective on drugs, freedom of expression, appearance, music, attitudes toward work, and held a much more liberal political view than mainstream society. One of the mainRead MoreMass Incarceration : The Color Of Justice Essay1352 Words   |  6 Pagesplaguing African Americans from as early as slavery to the more liberal society we see today. Slavery is one of the oldest forms of oppression against African Americans. Slaves were brought in from Africa at increasingly high numbers to do the so-called dirty work or manual labor of their white owners. Many years later, after the abolishment of slavery came the Jim Crow era. In the 1880s, acts known as the Jim Crow laws were enacted by Southern states to keep oppression of African Americans alive. TheseRead MoreWar On Drugs And Its Effects On Society Essay1730 Words   |  7 PagesNovember 2016 Final Paper War on Drugs Introduction The War on Drugs was established in the early 70’s to end drug abuse, which had increasingly become a problem during that era. Considering drugs will continue to be manufactured and consumed, this war has no end. And because there is no boundaries, there is room for discrimination and people being targeted. A disproportionate amount of minorities, particularly African Americans, are incarcerated every year for drug possession. As a result, childrenRead MoreThe New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander1313 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican-American. The creation of Jim Crows laws where used as a tool to promote segregation among the minority and white American. Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass takes a look at Jim Crow laws and policies were put into place to block the social progression African-American from the post-slavery to the civil rights movement. Fast-forward to 2008 the election of Barack Obama certified that African-Americans where no longer viewed as secon d-class citizens instead African-Americans are equalRead MoreThe New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander1316 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican-American. The creation of Jim Crows laws were used as a tool to promote segregation among the minority and white American. Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass takes a look at Jim Crow laws and policies were put into place to block the social progression African-American from the post-slavery to the civil rights movement. Fast-forward to 2008 the election of Barack Obama certified that African-Americans were no longer viewed as second-class citizens instead African-Americans are equal