Yes, that's "War on Drugs": A History (The Origin of "Moral Values") - a special edition; Drug Prohibition: A History (Part III of IV) - Marijuana Special) will be coming next. I decided to skip ahead (as it's fairly anti-dem, for one reason), and today we are going to start from ground zero: the early 1970s. Why? Because I started re-reading some things, and there were certain things that really startled me - in the sense that it's a story everyone here at the DailyKos should (and I assume would like) to hear.
The story of how Nixon started the "Moral Values" BS - via launching the "War on Drugs" (and even linking it to gays) and how the Democrats are still scared speechless.
I have said a few times: As a former heroin addict currently in (buprenorphine) maintenance, this issue clearly means alot to me. But not to most. And I will continue to ask them, why?
Well, I think I have figured it out.
(If you are in Washington State, it's
imperative you read
this and contact your representatives!)
I am going to try to keep this diary short, simple, and to the point. I hope it works out, and I hope you enjoy it.
A Brief Look at the 1960s
You all remember the 1960s, right? Well, as they say, either you have heard about it, or you don't remember it. It' amazing how time flies, anyone who could really have experienced the 60s would have to be pushing 60 by now, so it's doubtful there are that many here that would fit into that category (I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings here, and I apologize if I have). Let's have a little refresher, regardless.
Birth Control was widely available for the first time, and sex was suddenly open and not something to be ashamed of; Sexuality became something more accepted, and TV/Radio no longer censored the most innocuous of sexual references. While Roe V. Wade wasn't until 1973, the beginnings of it were in the 60s, and the case originated in 1970. The Civil Rights Movement took place, and segregation was ended. The Gay Rights movement began with the Stonewall Riots. Feminism rose to prominence. On the culture front, we have surrealism growing to worldwide popularity, and Rock and Roll blooms.
The Presidents were JFK (who notably, in spite of the drug explosion, had the most liberal and sane drug policy of any president) and Lyndon B. Johnson, and we had an unpopular war - Vietnam - which was widely protested as it should have been (it really started in 1957, under Eisenhower, who later omniously warned of the Military-Industrial Complex) - although the war is traditionally believed to have really started (intensified) in 1964 - as well as the Secret War in Laos (keep in mind what was going on behind the scenes, as was described in War on Drugs: The Masquerade Part I).
During the 40s and 50s, drugs were not very popular - illegal drugs that is (we will get in to that in the final drug prohibition history diary). During the 1960s, drug use would explode (some of it relatively harmless, some of it far from it). It is very important to note that all drugs other than opiates, cocaine, and marijuana weren't illegal (for posession). That's right! Even after the amphetamines and barbituates (uppers and downers) were determined to be dangerous and addictive (especially so as far as drugs go), there was still no law against them. And even during the 1960s, the popularity of these drugs wouldn't change significantly - however all drug use went up, and (meth)amphetamine use grew (cocaine was virtually unheard of, as the amphetamines were legal and comparable) - however, it wasn't called the 'psychedelic movement' for nothing.
It was the psychedelics, the so-called "soft" drugs - that were popular. Psychedelic drugs were extremely popular - which includes Marijuana (a "mild halucinogen"). Other than Marijuana, we have LSD and Magic Mushrooms (which Dr. Timothy Leary re-introduced to the American Populace.) He was the one who coined the phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out." It's important to note that the "Marijuana today is [pick-a-number] times more potent" myth is pretty bogus. Marijuana potency has increased - something along the lines of about 15%. Of course, there are many different types of Marijuana and it's difficult to simplify. Vietnam, along with the Secret War in Laos, assisted in bringing heroin back to the U.S., both literally and in terms of fashion.
Life was free - free of shame, and free of fear. Not only that, but this was nothing short of a revolution.
Not very good for politics. Keep in mind, however, that not everyone was a "hippy." Far from it. As such, it was not very good for right-wing, either. But the 1960s was an extreme, and crime would grow (which was partially due to the Civil Rights Movement.)
I will return to the 60s in Drug Prohibition: A History (Part III).
The Backlash
Conservatives hate the 60s. They loathe the 60s. And they still do - and are afraid of a repeat.
In 1969, Tricky Dick (Richard Nixon) would take office - a true conservative - and a "crook" (and a liar, and a hypocrite), for that matter.
Nixon appealed to what he claimed was the "silent majority" of socially conservative Americans who disliked the "hippie" counterculture and civil rights and anti-war demonstrators."
"Nixon campaigned on a "law and order" theme, which appealed to many voters afraid of the far left and concerned about the riots and demonstrations that had accompanied the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movement.
- Wikipedia.
This, right here, is the beginning of the "tough/soft on crime" rhetoric and "Moral Voter" bloc. However, it's important to say, Nixon could not have won the election (which was against Humphrey) without the belief that he would end (and possibly win) the Vietnam War.
He won on morals, and he won on fear. Sound familiar?
Remind you of something...?
The "War on Drugs."
"Guns, God, and Gays," they say. Well, they forget "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll." While they couldn't stop Rock and Roll - and they knew it, and they couldn't stop sex (but that they definitely did try - it's interesting, was watching the People vs. Larry Flint last night as I started this, highly recommended,) but drugs were the perfect scapegoat. "Guns, God, and Gays" is extremely shortsided.
Nixon needed to get re-elected. Despite his assured victory, he was one paranoid guy. He also likely, like the other conservatives, truly despised the 60s. He took drugs into his aim (and would do what conservatives always do - some insanely stupid things, with full doses of fear.)
In 1971, Richard Nixon declared that the drug problem was a "national emergency". He fabricated statistics - by changing the ratio of dead junkies in the morgue to assumed junkies on the street - to make it look like a heroin crisis was upon us (and he later changed it back to declare victory.) In his 1971 State of the Union, he declared that drugs were smuggled "without the slightest respect for national boundaries" and needed "an integrated attack on...their movement across international borders." And, thus, the American World Police(tm) was born. He often emphasized attacking the problem at it's source - overseas. The "War on Drugs" officially began as the 1971 midterm elections approached, in June 1971, and Nixon announced a formal declaration of war on drugs. (I thought only Congress had the ability to declare war? </snark>)
I cannot overemphasize how the "War on Drugs" IS Nixon's legacy. He, personally, put enormous amounts of personal energy into the effort, and crafted both the foreign and domestic policies that are still in place today. He spoke of drugs like Bush speaks of 9/11. Allow me to share with you some of his quotes, as I describe some of his actions. Tell me if they sound familiar.
In May 1971, only weeks before he announced the War on Drugs, outraged by a favorable portrayal of homosexuals on All in the Family, he said (to aides in the Oval Office): "I do not think you glorify on public television homosexuality. It outraged me because I don't want to see this country go that way...The last six Roman emperors were fags...When the Catholic Church went to hell....it was homosexual...And let's look at the strong societies. The Russians, God damn it, they root them out....Dope? Do you think the Russians allow dope? Hell no....You see, homosexuality, dope, immorality in general: These are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the Communists and the left-wingers are pushing the stuff, they're trying to destroy us."
[drugs are] "public enemy number one", and he announced a "full-scale attack on the on the problem of drug abuse in America." He outlined a "worldwide escalation."
"If we cannot destroy the drug menace in America, then it surely will destroy us."
[drugs are a threat that could] "sap our Nation's strength and destroy our Nation's character."
In March of 1972, he came to New York City, where he met with Governor Nelson Rockefeller - architect of the horribly cruel and Draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. He himself reviewed the stat's anti-drug work, and called for a "total war" on drugs.
In the last weeks of his 1972 re-election campaign, "Three years ago, the global heroin plague was raging almost completely out of control all over the world....But then we launched our crusade to save our children and now we can see that crusade...beginning to roll up some victories in country after country."
He also said, just after that, that he in the 1968 campaign he ran "with a pledge to restore respect for law, order, and justice in America," and that during his 1st term, he had stemmed the "rising tide of disorder and permissiveness," by moving "onto the offensive in our all-out battle against the criminal forces in America," and by declaring a "total war against heroin and illicit drugs." He said "We are winning this war. The raging heroin epidemic of the 1960s has been stemmed." [highly likely bogus]
In March 1973, he reorganized the federal bureaucracy for "an all-out, global war on the drug menace," and christened the brand new DEA.
Nixon's Legacy
Let me first say that Nixon did enormous things in his "War on Drugs." He crafted a whole huge bill, the one we currently live under, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the first full comprehensive criminal drug law that outlawed EVERYTHING (which was an actual law, with a constitional basis in the Interstate Commerce Clause, as opposed to an (unpayable) "tax".) It was part of a larger bill, the Comprehensive Substance Abuse Act of 1970, which also created the DEA. He also launched a massive international war - one that was a catastrophic success. But I think this is better covered in the other history diaries. This is a special edition.
(A little bit of the foreign aspect was covered in War on Drugs: The Masquerade Part III)
A final, very important thing to note was he originally took a bi-partisan tone. He advocated Methadone Maintenance and UN Cooperation, for instance. But in the end, he gave up on bi-partisanship. And yet, he still won in the famous election vs. George McGovern (who dared to speak something resembling the truth about Nixon's war efforts,) the one that so closely resembles today. Will the scandal also follow, today?...
"To fund these ambitious programs, Nixon raised the federal anti-drug budget elevenfold in his first term to nearly $750 million, laying the foundations for future exansion. Nixon himself resigned in disgrace only two years later, but his drug war and it's bureaucratic underpinnings survived to become permanent features [fixtures] of the federal government - notably, cabinet-level supervision, the White House drug advisor, the DEA, an ever-expanding budget, tough drug laws, the State Department's bilateral drug diplomacy, and the metaphor and mindset of war."
- Alfred McCoy, The Politics of Heroin.
Sad, isn't it?
So, you wonder why the Democrats won't touch this issue with a ten-foot-pole? I think it's likely because it's the very foundations of the "Moral Values" BS. Tricky Dick left in disgrace. His "War" should have left with him. Unfortunately, Reagan continued it - with his "moral majority" - and Bush 41 continued it. Even Clinton to some extent continued it. It's time we recognize it for what it is. Drugs no longer invoke the same fear and moral outrage they once did, and the "War on Drugs" is an accepted failure.
I want to end this by re-stating my belief that the drug laws are blatantly unconstitutional, and that until we stand up to this garbage, stand on principle instead of ideology, we can not win.
"You see, homosexuality, dope, immorality in general: These are the enemies of strong societies."
"Gods, Guns, and Gays," you say? You forgot Sex and Drugs. Immorality (in a Christian sense of the word) isn't the enemy of a strong society: fascism, tyranny, poverty, and what is essentially slavery is - at least how we define "strong society."
Yes, the 60s were an extreme. But we are still living in the even more extreme backlash.
UPDATE: I just wanted to point out the correlation between the "just say no" and "no tolerance" policies regarding drugs, and the "abstinence only" sexual education policies (I know of at least one study that shows abstinence only sex-ed not only doesn't work - it increases sex among teens, and decreases condom use.) The policies virtually put an end to responsibility, and create a rebellious subculture. And now, the US is not only holding back funding for any group that even speak of abortion - but they are adding needle exchanges to the list. Needle exchanges "get dangerous needles off the street and minimizes needle sharing. A proven weapon against AIDS transmission, it has not been shown to increase drug use, and indeed may reduce drug addiction by providing a way to talk to drug users and lead them to treatment. It is endorsed by virtually every mainstream public health group," according to the Washington Post.
The Usual Plugs and Resources
The Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNET) (reform advocacy organization)
the Drug Policy Alliance (reform advocacy organization)
Common Sense for Drug Policy (an advocacy organization)
American Civil Liberties Union (they oppose drug prohibition in case you weren't aware)
Drug War Facts - a nice site with some great quotes and summaries, completely based in verifiable fact
The NarcoSphere - a journal/blog of sorts, focusing mainly on the WoD
The Vaults of Erowid - Documenting the Complex Relationship Between Humans and Psychoactives - an excellent resource.
The Lycaeum - Entheogenic Database & Community - a resource similar to erowid.
Opioids: past, present, and future [with a hedonistic view for the future] - a decent resource, especially for newbies.
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy - probably the best resource on drug prohibition.
DRCNET response to the DEA - a total duplication of the DEA Website with a point by point rebuttal to everything they have published. Great stuff.
Medscape - the source of clinical studies, with free abstracts. (registration req'd.)
Drug WarRant - one of the best anti-prohibitionist blogs.
D'Alliance - Blog of the Drug Policy Alliance.