Changing U.S. Drug Policy

Report Outline
New Federal Drive on Hard Drugs
Prevalence of Usage in America
Public Policy Questions Ahead

New Federal Drive on Hard Drugs

President's Concern With Resurgence of Heroin

The federal government is preparing another assault on drug abuse. In a post-Christmas statement issued at his Vail, Colo., vacation retreat, President Ford endorsed a Domestic Council study calling for new efforts to stem the rising tide of heroin addiction and the abuse of other hard drugs. The President said he would send Congress a message outlining his anti-drug proposals in the next few months.

Whether this new offensive will reach the proportions of President Nixon's celebrated 1971 “war” on drugs is not yet clear. Nixon characterized heroin addiction as “Public Enemy No. 1” and declared “if we cannot destroy the drug menace in the United States, then it will surely destroy us.” In the wake of his declaration, the federal government set up a host of new antidrug agencies for treatment and prevention, and for law enforcement. Federal spending on drug programs doubled in a single year.

Ford's statement, though more moderate in tone than Nixon's, nevertheless had a similar ring of urgency. The President said: “Drug abuse is a tragic national problem which saps our nation's vitality. It is also a major contributor to our growing crime rate. All of us must redouble our efforts to combat this problem.” The Ford administration's priorities, however, appear to differ sharply from those of its predecessor. The Nixon “war” was all-encompassing, hitting at users and sellers of “soft” drugs, such as marijuana, as well as traffickers in narcotics. The Domestic Council study, on which President Ford will base his recommendations to Congress, makes careful distinctions between different kinds of drugs according to their potential harm to individuals and society.