War on Drugs

Twelve years ago, President Ronald Reagan launched an all-out effort to rid the country of illegal substances, chiefly cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The campaign focused on stopping drug production in countries from Colombia to Burma, disrupting the flow of drugs into the United States and destroying the open-air street markets in inner cities. President George Bush continued the drug war, focusing on interdicting drug supplies before they entered the United States and on stricter local law enforcement, including the arrest and imprisonment of drug offenders. With the arrival in the White House of the new Clinton administration, which advocates more emphasis on prevention and treatment efforts, the debate over how best to win the war on drugs is heating up once again.