Narcotics, War on

Enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale and distribution of controlled substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, MDMA (“ecstasy”), LSD, and a number of others. Under U.S. law, the term narcotic refers specifically to opium and opium derivatives. Although coca and cocaine are technically not narcotics, they are classified as such under the Controlled Substances Act. The phrase war on narcotics is often used interchangeably with the phrase war on drugs.

Although narcotics can be consumed in a variety of ways, most commonly they are smoked, sniffed, or injected. Effects depend upon dosage, previous drug history, and the mood of the user. In the short term, narcotic use generally results in a sense of euphoria, happiness, or general well-being. Long-term effects include loss of energy, sleeplessness, nausea, dilation of blood vessels, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Health risks associated with drug use are infection, overdose, and diseases. The use of needles for intravenous injection can result in AIDS or hepatitis, and the fact that drug use is primarily a subculture makes non-sterile practice common. In addition, the supply of illegal street drugs is by nature unregulated; therefore, the purity of a substance is often impossible to determine.

Repeated narcotic use leads to increased tolerance and addiction. The development of tolerance creates the need to administer progressively larger doses to achieve the same effect. Physical, emotional, and psychological dependence occur as the user's body comes to require the substance to avoid feelings of withdrawal. Narcotics users move from using the drug for recreational purposes to requiring the drug to function normally. Withdrawal symptoms include depression, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, anxiety, loss of appetite, tremors, nausea, and vomiting. Withdrawal also involves bone and muscle ache, excessive sweating, and spasms. Psychological dependency tends to result in relapse even after the physical withdrawal is complete. The amount required to induce a fatal dose increases proportionally over time with tolerance; although there is always a point that will constitute an overdose.

Although abuse of narcotics can be initiated by exposure through medical treatment, most people begin drug use because of social interaction. The social acceptance of drugs and their influence upon and reflection in popular culture makes the war on narcotics increasingly complex.

History of Narcotics Interdiction

The first law specifically targeting the use of narcotics was an ordinance passed in San Francisco in 1875, which prohibited the smoking of opium in opium dens. At the time, construction of the west-east portion of the transcontinental railroad was dependent upon Chinese labor; this legislation against opium is often associated with general fears about Chinese immigrants and the corrupting influence of Asian culture. Federal laws followed, prohibiting Chinese from trafficking in opium; however, laudanum, a drug containing opium and popular in the wider culture, remained legal. During the same period, cocaine was used in the manufacture of Coca-Cola.

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, passed in 1914, was the first comprehensive federal drug law that regulated the manufacture, importation, and distribution of narcotics. The proximate cause for the Harrison Act was the U.S. occupation of the Philippines following the Spanish-American War (1898), after which the U.S. government was confronted with the question of how to deal with the regulation of opium use for the first time. At the time, opium use was legal in the Philippines under a licensing system. A commission was established to study alternatives to this system, resulting in a recommendation that narcotics be subject to international control.

...