In recent decades the United States has entered into multiple unconventional wars where it seems that victory will not be obtained until the enemy is eradicated. One such war is the war on drugs. It is unclear what a “win” in the war on drugs would look like, and the ambiguity leads to an ongoing fight, but the fight has become a dog eat dog battle of survival of the fittest.
The war on drugs began in the 1980’s as a response to the public opinion that Democrats were soft on crime. To avoid this public perception before the 1986 election, Democrats came out strongly against drugs. They introduced the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 and the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988. Because both parties were anxious to appear strong on this issue, the legislation was passed quickly and without much scrutiny.
