National Narcotics Act
The National Narcotics Act was a significant piece of federal legislation aimed at enhancing the coordination of law enforcement efforts in the United States' battle against drug-related issues. Enacted during the Reagan administration, it established the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board (NDEPB), which was tasked with developing and implementing a national drug-control policy. This act marked the first time federal drug enforcement efforts were centralized, allowing for better efficiency and effectiveness among various agencies that had previously worked independently.
The NDEPB was initially chaired by Attorney General Edwin Meese and included members from the President's cabinet, representing a compromise between congressional desires for a dedicated drug control official and the administration's concerns about bureaucratic expansion. Although the National Narcotics Act was repealed in 1988, it paved the way for the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), fulfilling the original objective of establishing a cabinet-level position responsible for national drug strategy. The head of the ONDCP, often referred to as the "drug czar," plays a crucial role in coordinating federal responses to drug-related challenges. This evolution reflects ongoing efforts to address drug use and trafficking in the U.S. within the context of public health and law enforcement.
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National Narcotics Act
THE LAW: Federal legislation that established a high-level government board to coordinate law-enforcement efforts in the federal war on drugs
SIGNIFICANCE: Passage of the National Narcotics Act centralized federal drug-control efforts for the first time by creating the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board, which later evolved into the current Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The National Narcotics Act represented an effort by the U.S. Congress to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of federal drug-law enforcement. The act established the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board (NDEPB), whose mission was to develop a national drug-control policy, implement that policy, and coordinate the efforts of multiple federal law-enforcement agencies.
Before passage of the National Narcotics Act, federal agencies responsible for drug-law enforcement operated without the direction or coordination of a central agency or official. At its inception, the NDEPB was chaired by Attorney General Edwin Meese and comprised additional members of President Ronald Reagan’s cabinet. The board represented a compromise between Congress, which had favored creation of a new cabinet-level drug control official, and President Ronald Reagan, who believed a new cabinet member would create additional bureaucracy that would disrupt existing law-enforcement efforts.
In November, 1988, the NDEPB was formally dissolved with the repeal of the National Narcotics Act, which was superseded by passage of the National Narcotics Leadership Act. This new legislation created the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and fulfilled Congress’s original intention to establish a cabinet-level drug-control official. The head of ONDCP, commonly referred to as the “drug czar,” is responsible for developing national drug-control strategy and coordinating federal law-enforcement efforts.
Bibliography
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Gray, James. Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001.
Maccoun, Robert J. Drug War Heresies: Learning from Other Vices, Times, and Places. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Musto, David F. The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
President’s Commission on Organized Crime. America’s Habit: Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking, and Organized Crime. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1986.