Trafficking in drugs exists only because certain drugs are illegal in the United States and elsewhere, and because a shadow and illegal market exists for these drugs. Drug trafficking is a product of the twentieth century, with roots in the earliest part of the century. As early as 1914, the Harrison Act regulated the distribution of narcotics (including cocaine) by physicians. While the Harrison Act slowed drug use, the appeal of narcotics continued to the point that the president appointed a Commissioner of Narcotics in 1930 ("The Annals" 21).
Prohibition was enacted in 1920 and had two obvious consequences: by making the transportation and sale of alcohol illegal, it promoted a black market (since demand was not eliminated); at the same time, Prohibition resulted in effectively lowering the consumption of alcohol--per capita consumption among those old enough to drink did not return to pre Prohibition levels until the 1970s (Cannon 2599).
Prohibition and the way that it was enforced also set the stage for the way in which drug use and transportation would be fought for the remainder of the twentieth century. The emphasis was on interdiction of shipments, with some effort directed toward reducing demand through harsh sentences for violators. Only in the last two decades of the previous century was there a shift toward decreasing demand for drugs (although spending on enforcement remained steady during that time). Drug control efforts for fiscal 2002 at the federal level will cost more than $19.2 billion and involve more than 50 programs and federal agencies. Drug offenders account for 21 percent of inmates in state prison, and nearly 60 percent of inmates in federal penitentiaries. Critics of the war on drugs suggest that these costs, both financial and social, are simply too high for the country to bear much longer (Cannon 2595).
Drug use and abuse declined during the 1940s and 1950s, but surged during the 1960s...