Substances like cocaine and heroin have a long mixed history. From being seen as recreational or inoffensive in the 19th century to a serious epidemic in present times.
Drug Regulations Over the Years
In the late 19th century there were no drug regulations. Physicians often prescribed cocaine or opium as harmless painkillers. However, it was only until the beginning of the 20th Century when the use of these drugs became a concern.
As a consequence of this public concern The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 (Harrison Act; P.L. 63-223), came to be. This was the response by the government due to the increasing levels of drug abuse.
The Harrison Act required that manufacturers, importers, and distributors of cocaine and opium needed to register their business with the US. Department of Treasury. Hence, they were also obliged to pay a special tax and keep records of every transaction.
During this time the Narcotic Division of the Internal Revenue Bureau shut down the city and state narcotic clinics. They sent drug violators to federal penitentiaries. Doctors stopped prescribing cocaine or opium to their patients. These ones turned to the black market for their supply.
The problem of heroin abuse in the 1960s and 1970s gave birth to the War on Drugs. As a result, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was created in 1973 during the Nixon Administration with a budget of $ 74.9 million. (1)
A Continuous Problem
Through the years more illegal drugs had come to the already problematic scene, and at the same time, more regulations had attacked this severe problem.
Nowadays it’s not only heroin but also cocaine, crack cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, and more synthetic drugs that cause worry and concern to the United States population.
Illegal Drugs Epidemic in the US
It is no news that in recent years the use of illegal drugs in the United States has been on the rise. Drugs like MDMA in individuals 12 years old and older went from 11 million in 2007 to 17 million in 2017. (2)
Alongside that, the number of young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 years old using heroin was 948,000 in 2016, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). (3)
Oregon Decriminalizes Drugs
The state of Oregon decriminalizing drugs is one of the newest approaches aiming to tackle the drug epidemic in the United States. The purpose is to treat drug users not as criminals but as people that need help. Placing them in the healthcare system instead of sending them to jail.
This new initiative will spare from criminal penalties to users that are found with small amounts of drugs. Less than 1 gram of heroin or MDMA; up to 2 grams of cocaine; no more than 12 grams of psilocybin mushrooms; and 40 doses of methadone, LSD, or oxycodone. Instead, the users will be fine with up to $100 and will be referred to addiction treatment centers. These centers are funded by the money from the taxation of marijuana in the state of Oregon. That amounts to $100 million a year. (4)
Future Ahead
Though Oregon has become the first state decriminalizing hard drugs in the United States, it is not the first in the world. Countries like the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland had decriminalized drugs without negative effects.
It’s no doubt a very progressive and humane solution for a difficult persistent problem. Let’s hope for the best!
