I disagree.
The War on Drugs started with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Furthermore, Nixon is credited with declaring a War on Drugs:
" At a press conference (June 17, 1971) Nixon names drug abuse as "public enemy number one in the United States." He announces the creation of the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP), to be headed by Dr. Jerome Jaffe, a leading methadone treatment specialist."
The DEA was started up under Nixon in 1973.
Carter considered decriminalizing at the national level -- drug use rose. Reagan started the "Just Say No" campaign. Drug use fell.
Here we are over a generation later and we hear this from Hazelden:
The Hazelden Foundation invites you to join a growing number of people who are dedicating their time, energy and passion to improve public understanding of America's number one health problem: addiction to alcohol and other drugs.
The DEA was started up under Nixon in 1973.
Followed by steadily rising rates of drug use, correct?
Carter considered decriminalizing at the national level -- drug use rose.
Drug use peaked midway through Carter's term in 1979, after steadily rising through most of the 70's. It fell for the last two years of his term.
It continued declining steadily until 1989, when the WOD was elevated to a cabinet level position. It stopped its decline at the time Dr. William J. Bennett took over as drug czar.
Reagan started the "Just Say No" campaign. Drug use fell.
It had already begun its decline 2 or 3 years prior, yes?