failure from the beginning. I agree fully that the social and personal problems of drug addiction became a major problem after first government intervention; however fighting these problems directly was not a wise decision on our government’s behalf. In looking at the nineteenth century, drug addiction did exist, however, because none of the restrictions were present, none of the social problems connected to drug addiction were present. Since an addict requires the drug to live, they will do most anything to get their hands on it. Outlawing their “daily essentials” is what caused all of the problems. After these first few attempts at recovery of past mistakes had proven ineffective, if not adversely effective, the United States Government did not stop to evaluate their failures. The officials simply chose to throw more resources at prohibiting not only true narcotics, but also any possible substitutes such as alcohol and marijuana. This marked the third fatal mistake. The problem had become too widespread to contain through overpower, however it could have likely been resolved by undermining the smuggling industry through a programmed, untaxed distribution of narcotics to those addicted. This action of prohibition caused two problems directly. Number one; prohibiting things requires amendments. Amendments leave loopholes that cause other amendments, thus creating a never-ending loop of confusing legalities. Number two; the government failed to consider the social state of its nation. Lawlessness was prevalent, which if evaluated would have signaled further development of underground activities. The Eighteenth Amendment evidenced these mistakes. Finally, not stopping Anslinger, through his irrational campaign of misinformation and propaganda, lead America to a daft misconception partially supporting the drug war, and undoubtedly excusing the government’s contributory involvement.If only America had...
