ABSTRACT
The drug laws in the country are at best questionable regarding their ability to be effective in controlling the rising tide of drug use. Young and old alike are not sure what the meanings of the latest laws are. Drug laws were generally established to control the flow and use of drugs for specific and non-specific reasons during the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1909, smoking opium was excluded from the United States. The prohibition of smoking opium served notice to other nations that America was determined to rid itself of the “evils” of addiction. Cocaine and heroin were both introduced from excellent laboratories by men with considerable clinical experience who judged them relatively harmless. In fact, these were developed to be possible cures for morphine and alcohol addiction. The effectiveness of our drug laws is suspect. The attitudes remain strong about the effectiveness of alcohol control.
