Influence Of Drugs In The 1960's

The time: the 1960s. The place: United States of America. Who? The youth. Doing what? Using drugs. Why? Many reasons. The 1960s proved to be a very turbulent time in the history of American youth growing up. There were many different activist movements all over the country. The primary drug user was the male college student involved in politics. He used mostly marijuana, some cocaine or LSD and of course alcohol. The sixites culminated with perhaps the biggest public scene of drug use ever: Woodstock. American youth in the sixties turned to drugs for a variety of reasons including the Vietnam War, the feeling of rebellion, activist movements, and the general pleasure-oriented society.

The consequences of mass incarceration include severe overcrowding, worsened health and safety conditions in prisons, expanded and more powerful correctional administrations, mass prison privatization, and the institutionalization of a highly racialized criminal justice system that has manifested itself in poor, minority predominated neighborhoods.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the federal government began to increasingly tighten drug laws. In 1972, President Richard Nixon formally declared a "War on Drugs", which continues

2 million people fill the prisons and jails in the U.S. The U.S. locks up more people than any other nation and 2.3 million people are confined in a correctional facility. This is what mass incarceration is. After slavery ended the system began to support the guilty and rich rather than the innocent and poor. African Americans were also arrested for minor crimes as simple as looking at white men or women in the eyes could led them to getting arrested. Plea bargains created a frightening sigma in regard to fighting for their innocence. The lasting effect of mass incarceration begins with the idea with war on drugs. A rise in recreational drug use in the 1960s led to President Nixon’s focus on targeting substance abuse. After he declared the

Mass incarceration, what is it? And why do we care? Well first let’s break it down. The definition of the word Mass means - large number of persons. The definition of incarceration means - to ‘shut up’ or confine. So together mass incarceration means- to ‘shut up’ or confine large numbers of people.

In 1909 Congress declared that opium smoking was a federal offence by passing the Anti-Opium Act. The Anti-Opium Act was unfair toward the Chinese because this minority group was highly known to smoke opium while whites abused the drug in other ways. According to reports drinking and injecting tinctures of opiates were popular among whites (Bobo & Thompson, 2006).

The prohibition of drugs such as cocaine, opium, and marijuana is rooted in the racism and xenophobia of the people of the United States. It was “believed that cocaine consumption by the black community could make them disregard the barriers that society had established between different races”, while Chinese were “portrayed as assiduous opium smokers” and Mexicans were “labeled as avid marihuana smokers” (Recio 2002; 23,24). These faulty conceptions of the minorities in the United States resulted in “a new perception…that drug consumption could not be morally accepted and therefore its use should be seriously restricted” (Recio 2002; 24). Medical professionals in the United States were strongly opposed to an all out ban of these drugs, but eventually the United States congress passed the Harrison Act. This act was initially designed to limit the availability of these narcotics by requiring a prescription from a physician to obtain them. Later, United States congress passed the Volstead Act, which prohibited alcohol. In 1922 the Harrison Act became a totally prohibitionist piece of legislation (Recio 2002; 25, 26).

Spearheaded by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the movement known as the “War on Drugs” sought to control the sale and use of psychoactive drugs as well as promote access to treatment for those who abuse and misuse these substances (Bagley, 1988; Elkins, 1990). Policies implemented prohibited the possession and distribution of narcotics (e.g. marijuana, cocaine, heroin); the punitive policies, which often resulted in hefty fines and prison sentences for violators, ultimately prompted the emergence of a black market, more potent and lethal drugs, synthetic drugs as well as led to the increase in organized crime and prison population (Bagley, 1988; Broden, 2013; Cussen & Block, 2000; Elkins, 1990; Friedman, 1991; Henderson, 1990; MacCoun, 1993; Powell, 2013). Despite the initial intention, there was rarely sufficient funding allocated towards achieving the latter goals—of promoting and advocating treatment for drug addicts (Bagley, 1988).

This essay will look closely at the context surrounding the topic in question. Moving through to evaluate how this subculture created a moral panic amongst the general public. The term moral panic first arose in Britain with the elaborate increase in the use of recreational drugs in young adults was first observed by sociologist Jock young in 1971.[footnoteRef:1] The moral panic over drug-taking results in the setting up of drugs squads[footnoteRef:2] which increased the number of drug related offences and arrests. The phenomenon highlights the correlation between drug taking in the British youth population and other sub-factors such as the media, public opinion and

During the nineteenth century, it was known that the United States could do as they pleased when it came to drugs. This era included unlimited distribution, sale, and promotion of psychoactive drugs during this period. Living in the nineteenth century was known to be a “dope fiend’s paradise” due to the medicinal and recreational drug use.

These regulations and bans from using heroin began a trafficking channel to Europe and the US by crime organization that is controlled in Europe. During World War II, heroin is being supplied to the US and security have been increasing. Many people in American addiction to heroin fell but this lasted until the end of World War II. Crime syndicates went back to business selling drugs to people, while America having conflicts with Southeast

Drugs have always played a role in our society from the present to the past they have been used for both medical uses and personal use. Though some drugs may help people who are suffering, for many they are misused and cause economic and social problems for our society. Because the negative effects of drug use not only affect the user but also many aspects of our society, drug control policies have been implemented throughout our history to try and control these issues. From the Harrison Act to the Prohibition in the 1930’s, to the 1970’s “War on Drugs,” the government has played an active role in controlling drug use, misuse, and the trafficking of drugs into our country because of the strains it brings to our economy. It harms the user,

Before President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse as America’s number one public enemy in 1971, the United States already had a long history of combating the use of illegal drugs. The first of its kind was the legislation that passed in San Francisco in 1875. This newly passed legislation banned the smoking of opium. However, this legislation seemed to be racially motivated. San Francisco citizens believed that Chinese men who resided in the community, and who were highly regarded as opium smokers, would lure women into opium dens and take advantage of them. In 1909, the United States Congress passed a federal ban on opium. Afterwards, the government began to target cocaine as well. Much like opium, the use of cocaine was also racially

The policy that was created by Nixon 46 years ago has not been changed or even altered since. Times have changed and it is clear that America’s Drug Policy needs to be modernized for the world we live in

Drugs, illegal and legal, have been a part of the history of the United States for almost three centuries. From the time when the 19th century began, Americans went from alcohol as the preferred mood altering substance to a new realm of addiction. During this time Americans were acquaint with wonder drugs such as morphine, heroin, and cocaine. Since that discovery, our society has confronted the problems of drug abuse and addiction (DEA, 2015). Once the 20th century began, the United States, contending with its first drug epidemic in the country’s short history, progressively started effective limitations to combat the epidemic. In the United States through internal law enforcement they began to fight the issue domestically. Through cooperation and sometimes without the United States began spearheading a world crusade to limit opium and coca crops (DEA, 2015). By World War II, the use of drugs in America had declined significantly enough for it to no longer be considered a significant issue. It was then seen as a borderline social problem and pushed