ABSTRACT
This study begins with the inauguration of George H. W. Bush as President of the United States in January of 1989. The Bush administration began at the height of public concern about drug abuse in America. A poll from ABC/Washington Post showed 26% of Americans listing drugs as the “single most important problem facing the United States today” (van Wert, 1988, p. 2), and 55% of Americans believed the Ronald Reagan administration had not done a good job on drug control (Roberts, 1988). Consequently, drug control was a significant issue in the 1988 presidential campaign between then Vice President Bush and Democratic nominee and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Rosenthal (1988) called the issue a “favorite theme for both candidates.”
