Week 2 drugs (historical perspective)

what was going on prior to federal drug laws?

Many drugs were legal and widely available, labeling requirements were limited, and consumers often did not know what exactly they were taking

Why did drug control start?

Rising addiction/ dependency (often resulting after taking the drugs for legit reasons.)

Fradulent patent medicines

immigration and racial fears

international pressure to regulate narcotics

Pure food and drug act’s purpose (1906)

protect consumers from unsafe and mislabeled products.

Pure Food and Drug Act’s requirements

more accurate labeling, disclosure of certain dangerous ingredients, and federal oversight of food and drugs

What was the importance of the pure food and drug safety act?

it was the first major federal drug regulation in the United States

Harrison narcotics tax act 1914: what drugs did it regulate and how? (4)

Regulated: opium, morphine, heroin, and cocaine

It required people who produced imported sold or prescribed the above drugs to do the following: register, pay taxes, keep records

Harris narcotics tax act 1914 significance

drug control moved from purely being medical and a commercial affair to a matter of federal law-enforcement and criminal regulation

1937: marijuana tax act

placed strict federal controls on marijuana through taxation, did not criminalized marijuana, but it did significantly limit legal possession and distribution

Why was the marijuana taxed act of 1937 struck down?

scotus found that it violated the fifth amendment right against self-incrimination (case name was Leary versus the United States in 1969)

Controlled substance act 1970

created the modern federal system for regulating drugs in the United States. It established the five drug schedules, federal regulations of manufacturing and distribution, criminal penalties for unauthorized possession in trafficking.

The schedules are based on what three things?

medical use, abuse potential, and risk of dependence

When and who described the drug abuse as public enemy number one and declared the world drugs

1971, Richard Nixon

What were the goals of the war on drugs?

reducing drug use, disrupting trafficking, increasing enforcement, expanding prevention and treatment

Later administrations expanded drug enforcement through _________.

more funding and tougher sentencing laws

When was the DEA established?

1973

What were the responsibilities of the DEA?

enforcing federal drug laws, investigating drug trafficking organizations, preventing diversion of prescription drugs, working with state, local, and international partners