Poicy paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Poicy - Research Paper Example Like alcohol, the exclusion that took place in the early 1920s was meant to get rid of various types of substances which were in the society. The prohibition did not seem to work and it has failed in the last few years. The failures associated with this prohibition have been most noticeable, due to the fact that today so many lives are being wasted and not to mention opportunities. It is now obvious that when it comes to determining what works well for people seems to be less straightforward. However, there are excellent examples from most states in the world indicating that there are more opportunities that can be used for improving policy implementation. History of Drug Policy Drugs in the US started surfacing in the 1800’s (Higate, Hughes, and Lart, 2006). Opium became widely known after the Civil War. The next drug to become popular was,cocaine in the late 1800’s. Coca an element in cocaine was mostly used as an ingredient in health remedies. The discovery of Morphi ne came a while later, in the year 1906 and was solely used as a medicinal component (Menzel, 2000). In the early 1900’s, there was a heightened knowledge that the psychotropic drugs had a great potential of causing addiction. Towards the end of 19th century, the abuse of cocaine and opium had reached worrying proportions. The Local governments actively began the prohibition of opium importation and dens. In 1906, the food and drug act was enacted. The act required that all doctors should accurately and clearly label medicines that they used. Drugs were now seen as a threat and no longer the remedies for illness. In 1914, the Harrison Narcotics act was enacted. This was Americas first Policy on drugs. It staunchly restricted the production and sale of a number of controlled substances. Under this act, doctors had the ability to administer to patients and the drugs acquired by drug addicts were secured through registered doctors (Lowinson, 2005). At the time, drug addiction wa s perceived as a medical problem and not an illegal activity. However in 1919, Americas Supreme Court made a harsh ruling against the treatment of drug addicts as a legal form of treatment. This drug policy mainly targeted physicians. In 1930, Harry J. Anslinger was chosen to head the Federal Bureau of Narcotics which had been created by the Treasury Department. He was the head of this agency until 1962. During his time in power, drugs were highly criminalized. In 1951, the Boggs Act was enacted. Under this act, penalties for the use of Marijuana were drastically increased. In 1956, the Narcotics Control Act was created. This is believed to be the most punitive anti-narcotics law ever enacted. Propaganda was widely used as a preventative measure by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. The bureau created horror stories relating to drugs and drug use. Marijuana for instance was said to bring about and fueled sex crimes. In 1966, due to an alarming increase drug use and abuse, the Narcotic s Addict Rehabilitation Act was enacted, by Johnsons Administration. This act listed narcotic addiction as a form of mental illness. This particular act however, had no major impact on fighting drug usage