ANTH106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Private Prison, Exponential Growth, Punitive Expedition
5 Jun 2018
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ANTH6
The War on Drugs
Historical development of the War on drugs
• President Nixon initiated there modern 'war on drugs' in early 1970's, with new laws,
including funding and enlargement of the auto drug bureaucracy
• Nixon also extended drug war abroad to strike at sources of supply
• He took an anti-drug position as a part of his campaign
• Presidents Reagan and Bush escalated the drug war - which became an integrated part
of American politics
• Major protagonist in modern war on drugs: US and United Nations Drug Control
Programme (UNDCP) and United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime
Prevention (UNODC)
• They massively increased spending on military, increased militarisation within the
war on drugs
Drug war supply-side strategy
• Anti-drug target illicit drugs at their source by pressing foreign government to target
growers and destroy refining facilities
• Anti-drug agencies attempt to intercept illicit drugs en route or at the borders of the
US and other Western countries
• Drug enforcement agents and police arrest drug dealers and seize drug suppliers
• Assumption: Law enforcement measure will function to make it more dangerous and
costly for growers, refiners and traffickers to produce and sell illicit drugs. This will
reduce production and availability, drive up prices, and discourage consumers. -
However, we know that peopled on't avoid buying something just because it is
expensive
UK LEAP Director on the failure of the War on drugs
• Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)
• Neil Woods - Director
• He fought the drug war for 14 years
• He says that people self-medicate with heroin to escape other issues, such as
childhood abuse
• Heroin is a painkiller for the body, and the mind
• The world is criminalising people with drug issues, but Woods says they need
help - health care.
• Its also cheaper to take care of someone than to criminalise someone
• $7 billion goes towards fighting organised crime
• He believed that the war on drugs is not helpful to anyone and there are no benefits
Drug war failure
Video: Fox News interviews LEAP co-founder Jack Cole
• Every year municipal sates get grants for the government, and these are based on the
amount of drug arrests in the year before: They are paid to arrest people for drugs
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Programme (undcp) and united nations office of drug control and crime. Prevention (unodc: they massively increased spending on military, increased militarisation within the war on drugs. Drug war supply-side strategy: anti-drug target illicit drugs at their source by pressing foreign government to target growers and destroy refining facilities, anti-drug agencies attempt to intercept illicit drugs en route or at the borders of the. This will reduce production and availability, drive up prices, and discourage consumers. However, we know that peopled on"t avoid buying something just because it is expensive. Its also cheaper to take care of someone than to criminalise someone: billion goes towards fighting organised crime, he believed that the war on drugs is not helpful to anyone and there are no benefits. Money spent: us federal budget for drug law enforcement: 2003 - billion (only . 6 billion for treatment and prevention.
