There are many problems that drug’s cause, but there are also problems that the war on drugs has caused too. The following paragraphs have supporting ideas for both ideas. Every president since Eisenhower had created new measures to decrease drug use in the United States, but, until 1979, none had actually succeeded. In 1989, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released a report stating that there was a 37% drop in casual (non-addicted) use from 1979 to 1989. Despite this trend, drug abuse and addiction had become a serious and dangerous problem in the 1980's. Due to a rise in the popularity of casual cocaine use among the middle and upper class, and the invention of crack cocaine, a smoke able, more potent form of cocaine that is used primarily by poorer, drug addicted people.
United States President George Bush officially began his "war on drugs" on September 5, 1989, when he gave the first prime time address of his presidency. The plan called for $7.9 billion from Congress, a $2.2 billion increase from the previous budget. Of the $7.9 billion that Bush asked for, 70% would go to law enforcement, which included $1.6 billion for jails. However, only 30% went to prevention, education, and treatment. The Bush administration sought to wage its war by primarily focusing on demand in the United States, which, to Bush, meant attacking and arresting the drug user, rather than focusing on prevention, education and treatment, or interdiction (Trying to reduce the supply of drugs) (Szasz, 45-61).
Bush's war on drugs did produce results. The biggest success was the 22% decrease in cocaine use. This was a definite victory for the government. However, it is not entirely clear that the government was responsible. The middle class may have finally opened their eyes to the.......
