Title: The Drug War as Race War
Headings: The following sections HAVE NOT moved yet:
Intersectionality, Worldwide and Other Pages


Content: Many citizens viewed drugs as a menace and many of  these same citizens were readily supportive of Reagan's proposals to  address the drug problem. This widespread public support explains the political value of the  War on Drugs. The cultural environment created virtually unanimous  bi-partisan support for an extensive and costly intervention into the  world of drugs. Both Republicans and Democrats sought to exploit the  public sentiment against drugs. The drug war also fostered a remarkable  level of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches. In  response to Reagan administration proposals, Congress quickly moved to  pass and fund tough drug enforcement initiatives. Fueled by political  considerations, the drug war took on a life of its own. For each  anti-drug measure that passed, it became necessary to further escalate  the war so that no one, Democrat or Republican, executive or legislative  branch, could be called soft on this critical issue. In addition to shaping the methods used to address the drug problem,  the rhetoric of war also shaped the impact of those methods, for a war  requires not only military strategies, but an enemy as well. For the  constituency the Reagan Administration was trying to reach, it was easy  to construct African Americans, Hispanics, and other people of color as  the enemy in the War on Drugs.