DEA acknowledges racist origins of cannabis prohibition

The Drug Enforcement Administration The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), the U.S. drug enforcement agency, acknowledges that its creation stemmed from the passage of discriminatory and racist drug laws.

In the latest installment of its video series « Stories from the Collection«,” officials from the DEA museum discussed the The origins of the federal drug ban and explained how the agency was eventually established in conjunction with punitive policies which were adopted in the early 20th century.

«When the government began taking steps to regulate certain substances, such as opium, »the public’s view of addiction changed,’” said the museum historian.

«The rise in non-medical use—along with racial, ethnic, and class-based prejudices—has influenced public opinion,» they added. «What had been a medical condition became deviant or criminal. This shift led to a wave of laws targeting heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.»

To enforce the new laws, a new agency called Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was then established under the auspices of the Treasury Department. The FBN was the predecessor of the DEA.

It is well established that the launch of the war on drugs—and the way it has continued to be waged—was and remains largely motivated by racial and political considerations. The Library of Congress documented how the racist and stigmatizing portrayals of cannabis in the media have been used to strengthen the ban, for example.

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow stated separately last year that research has clearly demonstrated that the criminalization of drugs has a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

The DEA has taken steps to at least support research on controlled substances such as cannabis and psilocybin, by increasing annual cultivation quotas to meet the demands of research and by authorizing new cannabis growers.