Pubdate: Fri, 4 Feb 2011
Source: Los Angeles Daily News (CA)
Copyright: 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact: http://www.dailynews.com/writealetter
Website: http://www.dailynews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/246
Author: Tony Newman
Note: Tony Newman is the director of media relations at the Drug 
Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org).
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ronald+Reagan

PORTRAYALS OF REAGAN FAIL TO SHOW PRICE OF WAR ON DRUGS

DID you know that former President Ronald Reagan would have turned 
100 this Sunday? If you didn't, you will soon - we're about to 
witness an avalanche of press timed to his birthday.

Both Democrats and Republicans consistently pay tribute to Reagan's 
"optimism" and "strength." It was "Morning in America" and Reagan had 
an "unshakeable faith" in America. There is the iconic image of a 
Reagan with his cowboy hat. I imagine that even Reagan himself - the 
actor, performer and president - would be surprised by these 
uncritically reverential portrayals

Reagan was much more divisive than his contemporary hagiographers 
concede, as they conveniently overlook the growing economic and 
social disparities that defined his policies. When I reflect on 
Reagan I think about what he meant for an issue very close to my 
heart, America's War on drugs.

Ronald Reagan brings up different memories than those that the media 
portrays - and they are not the sunny, feel-good ones that are being 
evoked by our elected leaders.

While Richard Nixon officially launched the drug war in 1971, his war 
was modest compared to Reagan's war. Reagan's presidency marked the 
start of a long period of skyrocking rates of incarceration, largely 
thanks to his unprecedented expansion of the drug war. The number of 
people behind bars for nonviolent drug law violations increased from 
50,000 in 1980 to more than 400,000 by 1997.

Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy made the "drug crisis" one of their 
signature issues and our country is still suffering the consequences 
of their actions. While the public hysteria that they whipped up has 
now subsided, we're still stuck with the same draconian, 
zero-tolerance policies that were implemented in the 1980s.

Who can forget Nancy Reagan sitting in classrooms and all over our 
television sets with her simplistic "Just Say No" campaign? It was 
during this time that the DARE programs were implemented in schools 
across the country, despite their lack of effectiveness.

Reagan's War at home was not only ineffective, it was disastrous. 
Upon taking office in 1981, Reagan shifted drug control resources 
from health agencies to the Department of Justice. It was under 
Reagan's guidance in 1986 that the worst of the federal mandatory 
minimum drug laws were passed into law. These laws included the crack 
sentencing guidelines that meant that someone possessing just 5 grams 
(two sugar packets) worth of crack received an automatic five years 
in prison. These laws filled our prisons for decades with low-level drug users.

The irony is that Reagan's own daughter developed a cocaine problem, 
but I don't imagine Reagan pushed for her to serve five years in a 
cage for her addiction.

Reagan's harsh drug policies not only led to exploding prisons, they 
blocked expansion of syringe exchange programs that could have 
prevented hundreds of thousands of people from contracting HIV and 
dying from AIDS.

It's interesting that in all of the press I've read so far 
celebrating Reagan, I have not seen one word about his radical 
escalation of the drug war. No word about the exploding prison 
populations that continue today to bankrupt our state budgets. No 
words about the militarization of our country, from cops in the 
schools to SWAT teams routinely breaking down doors.

It is predictable that the press will use what would have been Ronald 
Reagan's 100th birthday to reflect on the former president. But 
before we enshrine him as a saint, let's take a more comprehensive 
look past the image of the handsome guy riding a horse with a cowboy 
hat and a winning smile.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake