#02 "War on Drugs"

Media: Episode Recording -- "War on Drugs"

Link to Podcast: Episode Recording -- "War on Drugs"
Episode Number: Students Podcasting History Episode #02
Episode Title: #02 "War on Drugs"
Episode Date: April 23, 2025
Key Words: War on Drugs – A campaign that the U.S. federal government initiated back in the 1970s
was targeted to reduce down on the illegal drug trade by way of punitive measures and
law enforcement.
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Mass Incarceration – The substantial increase in incarcerated people is often linked to
drug-related offenses and harsh sentencing laws.
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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing – Laws do require judges to have to impose fixed
sentences for certain crimes such as drug-related offenses, and they limit judicial
discretion.
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Crack vs. Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity – Crack cocaine offenses (used more
often in Black communities) punished much more harshly than powder cocaine offenses
(associated with white users) are a key aspect of drug law criticism; these laws passed in
the 1980s.
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Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – The federal agency enforces the drug laws
and it combats drug trafficking. It was created around 1973.
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Reagan Era Drug Policies – It refers to an escalation that occurred during President
Ronald Reagan’s administration in the War on Drugs; such escalation includes the
Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986.
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Criminalization – To make behaviors or actions illegal is a process that, in the War on
Drugs context, refers to how addiction and drug use were treated as criminal issues, not
as public health concerns.
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Racial Disparities in Policing – Unequal treatment rooted in race, often visible
specifically in sentencing as well as drug-related arrests.
Episode Introduction: This episode grows through history, and it impacts society because of the War on Drugs in the United States, which is a federal campaign that was launched in the 1970s, and Reagan made it stronger. The War on Drugs was promoted as one national effort for curbing drug abuse, plus trafficking. It depended a lot on making something a crime and use of force instead of care and stopping it from happening. This policy put in place required minimum sentencing across the board, which took away a judge's ability to decide and punish severely, especially for drug crimes. The crack versus part is a key thing for this episode here. Black communities more commonly used crack cocaine, thus resulting in greatly longer prison terms because of powder cocaine sentencing disparity for white users as well as powder cocaine. Drug policy has contributed to racial disparities within policing and the expansion of mass incarceration at the close of the 20th
century, as this disparity highlights. The episode will discuss the specific role of all federal agencies like the DEA (Drug
Enforcement Administration) and also legislation such as the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. Also, the broader consequences which arise when addiction is viewed as a criminal issue instead of a public health crisis will be explained. Complete communities felt an impact, many who used drugs faced stigma, and the national view of justice and recovery saw a change at that time. Listeners will better understand just how the War on Drugs made less clear the line that punishment and prevention had created, starting inquiries about just what the legacy and morality are for America’s most enduring domestic policies.
Hosted By: Tony Calderon Gonzalez
Host Biography: Tony Calderon Gonzalez is an undergraduate student at Sewanee: The University of the South, pursuing a degree in Political Science with a deep interest in public policy, social justice, and American history. As a first-generation student, Tony is passionate about exploring how historical decisions, particularly those involving law enforcement, race, and
public health, continue to shape communities today. His academic work frequently centers on the intersection of policy, equity, and lived experience, which informs the focus of this podcast episode on the War on Drugs.
The Show: Students Podcasting History is an educational resource developed by students in Dr. Andrew Maginn’s History of the United States II course to highlight crucial movements in American History through podcasting. The students research and interpret primary and secondary sources to discuss pivotal themes, people, and events in the United States' history from 1865 through the present. Through creatively sharing these narratives and learning digital tools, these students hope to make history more accessible and exciting for the general public Tony’s contribution to the series reflects a commitment to uncovering the historical roots of contemporary issues and sparking informed dialogue around America’s most impactful domestic policies.
Source: Bruce Michael Bagley. “US Foreign Policy and the War on Drugs: Analysis of a Policy Failure.” Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs V ol. 30, No. 2/3 (1988): 189–212. https://doi.org/10.2307/165986.
Dr. Andrew Maginn, “President Reagan and Race,” History 202 A: History of the United States II (Since 1865) (class lecture, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee,
Tennessee).
Dr. Andrew Maginn, “Central Park Five - 1989,” History 202 A: History of the United States II (Since 1865) (class lecture, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee).
Edward I. Koch. “The War on Drugs.” Science V ol. 242, No. 4878 (1988): 495–495. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1702034.
Lawrence D. Bobo and Victor Thompson. “Unfair by Design: The War on Drugs, Race, and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Justice System.” Social Research V ol. 73, No. 2 (2006): 445–72. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971832.
“Report to the United Nations on racial disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system,” The Sentencing Project, Apr. 19, 2018. https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/report-to-the-united-nations-on-racial-dispariti
es-in-the-u-s-criminal-justice-system/.
Russell Crandall. “The War over the War on Drugs.” In Drugs and Thugs: The History and Future of America’ s War on Drugs, 317–30. Yale University Press, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv177tk3n.24.
Deborah Small. “The War on Drugs Is a War on Racial Justice.” Social Research V ol. 68, No. 3 (2001): 896–903. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971924.
Andrew Stern. “How ‘Law And Order’ Became Political Code For Discrimination,” NBC News, Sep. 24, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxV7htm_O3E
Jennifer Turner and Jamil Dakwar, “Racial Disparities in Sentencing,” American Liberties Union, Oct. 27, 2014.
https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/141027_iachr_racial_disparities_aclu_sub
mission_0.pdf.

Matthew D. Lassiter. “Impossible Criminals: The Suburban Imperatives of America’s War on Drugs.” The Journal of American History V ol. 102, No. 1 (2015): 126–40.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/44286141.

Michelle Alexander. “The War on Drugs and the New Jim Crow.” Race, Poverty & the Environment V ol. 17, No. 1 (2010): 75–77. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41554723.
Contact Information: https://www.andrewwyattmaginn.org/Digital_Humanities/s/studentspodcastinghistory/
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