AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: War on Drugs & Mass Incarceration (Day 297/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Nixon's War on Drugs, The Guardian

President Nixon officially declared drug abuse as "public enemy number one" in 1971, marking the beginning of a concerted effort to combat drug use and trafficking, known as the War on Drugs.

“Just Say No,” Wikimedia Commons

Intensified by the Reagan administration, the president and his wife, Nancy, famously championed the "Just Say No" campaign, promoting abstinence from drugs and emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach to drug use.

Rates of Incarceration, Wikimedia Commons

Policies centered on aggressive law enforcement tactics and strict sentencing laws and disproportionately targeted minority communities, leading to a surge in mass incarceration.

Racial Disparities in Drug Use and Arrests, Vox

Initially, the War on Drugs garnered bipartisan backing for tough-on-crime measures. Yet, over time, critics raised concerns about its disproportionate impact on marginalized groups and its failure to address underlying social issues like poverty, addiction, and mental health.

U.S. Prison System, Yale Daily News

The emphasis on punishment over rehabilitation led to overcrowded prisons and strained resources and failed to eradicate drug use or trafficking, instead fueling a cycle of incarceration and recidivism. 

The declaration of a war on drugs fueled mass incarceration and stimulated debates over policing and  effective methods to address drug abuse and addiction.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the End of the Cold War in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!