Federal Bureau of Narcotics

[Page 295]The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was the forerunner of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Prior to 1930, the U.S. Department of Treasury contained within it the Prohibition Unit for the enforcement of the Volstead Act of 1918, which declared alcohol illegal. Within the Prohibition Unit was the Narcotics Division. The Narcotics Division was responsible for the enforcement of the Harrison Act of 1914. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established in 1930 by an act of Congress. It consolidated the Federal Narcotics Control Board and the Narcotics Division in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics remained in the Treasury Department.

Two of the major reasons for the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics were the inefficiency and the level ...