Pubdate: Sun, 08 Sep 2019
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2019 The New York Times Company
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Jerey Kuzmarov
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v19/n017/a02.html
Note: Headline by newshawk

THE MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT EXAGGERATED DRUG ABUSE

I thought that Nicholas Kristof's article was very good in showing the
efforts of Seattle's prosecuting attorney, Dan Satterberg, to scale
back on drug prosecutions and promote treatment alternatives.

My one objection is his statement that "the war on drugs began in 1971 
out of a legitimate alarm about narcotics both in the United States and 
among U.S. troops in Vietnam." My book "The Myth of the Addicted Army: 
Vietnam and the Modern War on Drugs" detailed how the media and 
politicians exaggerated the scope of drug abuse in Vietnam and created a 
false moral panic about drugs that drove forward the war on drugs.

This history is important to remember as we develop alternatives to
the war on drugs and war on crime today. In particular, we need to
understand how exaggerated fears and false moral panics, stoked by
ambitious politicians and yellow journalism, can lead to irrational
policy responses that should never be repeated.

Jeremy Kuzmarov

Tulsa, Okla.
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MAP posted-by: Matt