Truman Administration, Harry

President Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, from 1945 to 1953. Truman passed some of the most striking and complex U.S. drug legislation during his administration. Truman's most instrumental drug policies included the Boggs Act, the Durham-Humphrey Amendment of 1951, and establishing the Interdepartmental Committee on Narcotics. Truman's domestic policies on drugs were provocative in their day, and remain the basis for current U.S. drug policies. Truman's administration instigated increased government involvement and protection for U.S. citizens in a complex nation that was embarking on a transformation toward a more industrial economy while becoming a leading world power.

The Boggs Act of 1951 was one of the most punitive pieces of legislation in the history of American drug policies. This legislation was ...