The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966 - Research Paper Example

The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to review the history Narcotic Rehabilitation Act and its social control in the United States to understand today’s problems and policies. Our approach is by exploring the connection between culture and social groups function in creating drug-related phenomena. Analysis of drug use in U.S. and social factors is considered to be broad aspects. The history of drug abuse has shown the details attached to particular drug use and patterns are determined by how people interpret everyday life. In today’s world, controlled substances are considered extremely dangerous. However, history shows that these drugs were once deemed to have social value. Introduction The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act was established in 1966 in order to rehabilitate the drug addicts in three programs namely pretrial civil commitment, a death sentence to those convicted and voluntary (Musto, 1999). It was enacted when social construction of a drug had begun to shift from favorable to unfavorable; people utilized the pronounced the drug’s problematic physiological and psychological effects in order to control its use. Even though these concerns were beneficial, they are not the only reasons the controlled drugs are categorized within jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. Several factors including health concerns, economic, and political factors are still unknown by the public. History of drug use Drugs were first utilized in the United States in the 1800. The first drug to be used was opium, which was very popular after the civil war. Cocaine was introduced in the 1880 and was used in health drinks by the Coca-Cola Company. Although, it was not a significant concern at the time with the dependency to cocaine, doctors grew a concern about the psychological effects including hallucination, depression, and psychoses. In 1906, morphine was discovered which was used for medicinal purposes prescribed by health practitioners as a pain reliever, while heroin was used to treat respiratory illness. Over the years, there has been increased awareness that these drugs have high potential for causing addiction. At the end of the 19th century, abuse of drugs such as opium and cocaine reached epidemic proportion, and the government began prohibiting their importation. The physicians were also required to label their medicines because they were no longer seen as harmless remedies for pains. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was formed in 1930 by the Treasury Department headed by Harry Anslinger until 1962 (McWilliams, 1990). Under his tenure, the America s drug policy was molded, and drugs were criminalized. In 1956, the Narcotics Control Act was created the most punishing and repressive that was ever adopted. The permit probation was eliminated, and bail was allowed only for the first offenders convicted for possession of heroin and a death penalty for anyone who sold heroin to a minor. In addition, he introduced a punitive drug policy that emphasized on drug law enforcement. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics created myths and horror stories about drugs as a preventative measure. For example, the use of marijuana was associated with cases of insanity, sex crimes, and murder. However, in 1960 the drug use became more prevalent. It was commonly used in colleges, and by soldiers who returned from Vietnam War. In other words, there was a tremendous increase in drug use in America in 1960s. This led to the establishment of the Narcotics Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966. According to this act, narcotic addiction was regarded as a mental illness. Also it recognized that alcoholism was also drug addiction. Nevertheless, the use of the drug was still considered as a crime. This act did not have a significant impact because there the little funding could not meet the growing demand for drugs in the 1960s (Musto, 1999). However, the act paved way for the federal expenditures on drug abuse treatment. The Counter-culture and Drug Control in the 1960s and 1970s In the 1960s, the white middle-class youths started to experiment drugs such as marijuana that caused wide public concern. This was associated with the intolerance in the previous decades, and the discontent around the world including social injustice, and repressive government. The dramatic rise of drug use in this period is an example of interaction between cultural and social factors. The consequences of the Vietnam War and civil rights concerns led to Cultural Revolution and the emergence of a subculture. They were trying to free themselves from society’s alienating norms by embracing the idea love and justice (Sharp, 1994). Many youths left their homes and joined an anti-war movement. For this reason, drugs helped them to secure freedom that they did not have. The drug’s capability to have new thoughts of understandings and philosophies was appropriate for the social movement embraced by the new subculture. The music of the 1960 and 1970s gave a message against what was alleged to be unfair government and unequal society. Renewed repression In 1970, the government established Controlled Substances Act. It contained three primary terms. First, all the existing federal laws on controlled substances were replaced. For example, the Marijuana Tax and Narcotics Acts were included in the new law. Second, the controlled substances were classified. Drugs were classified according to their potential for abuse, harmfulness, and medical value (McWilliams, 1990). This system dealt with not only addiction issues but also how drug were diverted from pharmaceutical companies to illegal ones. Drug diversion is still applicable today. Third, it created the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which replaced Federal Bureau of Narcotics as the United States drug enforcement agency. The DEA was used to enforce penalties according to the drug record. Currently, the DEA continues to regulate how drugs are recorded. Drug Use and Intolerance at the End of the 20th Century Social policy in the 20th century was associated with the significant cultural shift that took place during that time. This change was both ideological and social-policy oriented. It was characterized by the end of Liberalism and the birth of Conservatism. The concepts of individual empowerment and rehabilitation guided the drug and crime policies in the 1960s and 1970s, the conservatism favored intolerance, punishment, deprivation of individual freedom, and harsh stigma. Government lenient approaches were replaced with zero tolerance for drug use. In addition, the liberal era viewed drug addiction as a disease while on contrary, the conservative era interpreted as a moral failing. Lastly, the focus on individual demand will lead to international supply reduction as a strategy in the new war on drugs. The new approach has applied economic theory to the drug problem such as the provision of drugs is what drives the user's demand for them. Drug Use and Control in the early 21st century The war on drugs has continued to be the chosen approach such as the expansion of drug treatment and education programs. Additionally, funding has been raised for the ongoing law enforcement and supply reduction programs. Levels of drug use among the youths have changed despite escalating expenditures, more law enforcement, and tougher punishments. Even though, drug use has significantly declined since 1970s, for the past two decades show U.S. war on drugs had little impact on users. Due to the relative overall failure of the war on drugs to deliver a permanent solution, critics had begun a call for different approaches. Many are demanding reform of the drug war tactics such as mandatory minimum laws, harm reduction policies, and felony disenfranchisement (Sharp, 1994). Currently, there is state-level support for many of these reforms due to public outcry. Unfortunately, the federal government has pressed on with its drug war, claiming new battles to gather support. Conclusion The paper was aimed at reviewing history of drug use and its social control in the U.S. by understanding today's problems and policies. Alcohol and drug problems are socially constructed and also impacts social control efforts. This information is very significant to policy makers to address future problems. The increase of alcohol use and widespread drug experimentation was associated with civil rights and Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. These are two examples where blaming substance use for social problems would be highly inaccurate and irresponsible. Today, the war on drugs is continuing using various approaches such as expansion of drug treatment and education programs. However, the public has demanded for reforms of the drug war strategies including harm reduction policies and minimum mandatory. References McWilliams, John C. (1990).The Protectors: Harry J. Anslinger and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 1930-1962. Newark: University of Delaware Press. Musto, David. (1999). The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sharp, Elaine B. (1994). The Dilemma of Drug Policy in the United States. New York, NY: HarperCollins College Publishers Read More