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We’ve had a “war on drugs” for decades.
It’s all been fake.
Until now.
The War on Drugs refers to a long-running U.S. government campaign aimed at reducing illegal drug use, distribution, and trade through criminalization, policing, and international intervention. It formally began in June 1971, when President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse “public enemy number one.”
Early Foundations (1930s–1960s)
Even before the phrase “War on Drugs” existed, the U.S. had been building the legal and cultural groundwork:
- Marijuana Tax Act of 1937: The first major federal restriction on cannabis, effectively criminalizing it.
- 1950s anti-drug laws: Harsh mandatory minimums for narcotics offenses.
- 1960s drug culture and Vietnam: Drug use rose alongside counterculture movements and addiction among U.S. soldiers in Vietnam.
Nixon Declares the War (1971)
- Nixon’s 1971 declaration: He dramatically increased federal funding for drug control and created the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973.
- Controlled Substances Act (1970): Classified drugs into schedules and set the framework for federal drug policy.
Escalation Under Reagan (1980s)
The War on Drugs intensified dramatically:
- Reagan’s zero‑tolerance approach: Massive increases in drug enforcement budgets and policing.
- Mandatory minimum sentencing: Harsh penalties for drug possession and distribution, especially crack cocaine.
- “Just Say No” campaign: Led by First Lady Nancy Reagan, promoting abstinence-focused messaging.
International Expansion (1980s–2000s)
The U.S. extended the War on Drugs beyond its borders:
- Operations in Latin America: Military and intelligence involvement in Colombia, Mexico, and the Caribbean to combat cartels.
- Escalation of cartel violence: U.S. pressure contributed to power struggles among drug trafficking organizations.
Shifts and Criticism (1990s–Present)
By the 1990s and 2000s, criticism grew:
- Mass incarceration concerns: The War on Drugs became linked to the explosion of the U.S. prison population.
- Racial disparities: Enforcement patterns disproportionately targeted minority communities.
- Medical marijuana and legalization: States began legalizing cannabis, challenging federal policy.
- Public opinion shifts: Growing support for treatment over punishment.
The War on Drugs became widely viewed as ineffective or a policy failure by many experts and institutions.
Half a century after former U.S. President Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs, global cocaine output and consumption had jumped to record highs!
But everything changed when President Trump came along.
Trump’s Real War on Drugs
There has been a dramatic escalation in drug‑related enforcement and action during Donald Trump’s current term. Trump’s drug policy is militarized, geopolitical, and framed as counter‑terrorism rather than public health. His hard‑line deterrent strategy is aimed at disrupting transnational criminal networks and narcotics traffickers.
Key Features of Trump’s Drug War
- Labeling fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. Trump signed an executive order classifying illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals as WMDs, significantly raising the stakes.
- Designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations. The administration formally declared the U.S. to be in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, treating smugglers as “unlawful combatants” under the law of armed conflict.
- Expanding geopolitical framing of drug policy. Trump’s approach repackages the drug war with sharper geopolitical edges, targeting the source countries.
- Maritime strikes. U.S. military forces have destroyed drug‑smuggling vessels and their crews in the Caribbean and Pacific as part of anti‑drug operations.
- Taking Bold Action. Capturing Venezuelan dictator and narco-trafficker Nicolás Maduro.
Kudos to Trump
Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana applauded the Commander-in-Chief for capturing Venezuelan dictator and narco-trafficker Nicolás Maduro.
“Having served as a sheriff’s deputy and AG, I have seen the devastating effects of illegal drugs on American families,” Landry wrote on X.
“With over 100k opioid-related deaths annually, I am grateful to see a President finally take real action in the war on drugs. Thank you @realDonaldTrump for holding individuals like Maduro accountable,” he added.
Wayne Root, a former Libertarian Presidential candidate, wrote in an article:
I don’t want America in any new wars, if at all possible. But the Drug War against foreign narco-terrorists is one war that is justified. It’s a war to save our children.
This is the one good war!
58,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War.
116,000 Americans died in World War 1.
407,000 Americans died in World War 2.
600,000 to 700,000 Americans died in the Civil War.
All of those deaths pale in comparison to our undeclared worst war of all time. A war only being fought (until now) by one side. In this undeclared Drug War our foreign enemies have been waging war against our children and our society–until now, without consequences.
Over 100,000 Americans per year die from drugs. That’s over 1,000,000 over the past decade. That’s 2.5 million lives lost since the year 2000.
This is wholesale slaughter of our children.
Until now everyone looked the other way. But Trump gets it. The people conducting war against our children will be brought to justice. The border is sealed. The drug routes will be cut off and shut down. We will shoot the drug boats out of the water. We will kill anyone sending poison to America. Trump is playing for keeps.
This is the one war America should have been fighting for decades. Why wasn’t it? Perhaps previous presidents (or their key advisors) were bought off by CCP and Drug Cartel bribes.
That’s the benefit of having a billionaire president–he can’t be bribed–he doesn’t need the money.
After decades of a fake war on drugs that only saw drugs getting more prevalent, President Trump is trying to end it once and for all. Good luck, Mr. President!
