ABSTRACT
The "war on drugs" began during the presidency of Richard M. Nixon and has played a role in every presidential administration since. Many of the liberties protected under the Bill of Rights have been affected by the war on drugs. The Fourth Amendment requires an officer to have "reasonable suspicion" before stopping an individual to search for drugs. When the war on drugs began under President Nixon, antidrug policies were separated into two general camps, one focused on reducing supply, the other on reducing demand. The war on drugs continued into the presidency of George W. Bush. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter did not make the war on drugs a centerpiece of their agenda, but President Rea-gan revamped the effort with his "Just Say No" campaign. He also primarily embraced a supply-reduction strategy by focusing on interdiction, seizure, and criminal prosecution.
