The drug war originated in the USA

How the absurd war of human societies against themselves was achieved

At the beginning of the 20th century, conservative and racist forces in the United States expressed themselves mainly during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. To combat the "depraved customs" of foreigners (Chinese and Mexican) and blacks, especially expressed by the consumption of opium, Theodore Roosevelt appointed Dr. Hamilton Wright in 1908 as the first Opium Commissioner of the United States.

On March 12, 1911, Dr. Wright stated in a New York Times article: "Opium, the most pernicious drug known to mankind, is surrounded, in this country, with far fewer guarantees than any other nation in the world. Europe ".

Wright further stated that "it has been asserted with authority that cocaine is often the direct incentive for the crime of rape of blacks in the South and other parts of the country."

Wright also stated that "one of the most unfortunate aspects of opium smoking in this country is the large number of women who have become involved and live as concubines or cohabiting with Chinese in the Chinatowns of our different cities."

The culmination of the repressive process was the Harrison Anti-Narcotics legislation (1914), which consisted of three bills by the US House imposing restrictions on the availability and consumption of opium.

The editors relied on fears that there were "drugged blacks, sex maniacs" and made references to blacks acting under the influence murdering whites, degenerate Mexicans smoking marijuana, and "Chinese" seducing white women with drugs. At a Harrison Act hearing, Hamilton Wright stated, “Drugs made blacks uncontrollable, gave them superhuman powers, and provoked them to rebel against white authority.” Dr. Christopher Koch, State Board of Pharmacy Pennsylvania stated that "Most attacks on southern white women are the direct result of a cocaine-crazed Negro."

Before the law was passed, on February 8, 1914, The New York Times published an article stating "Black devils drugged with cocaine are the new threat in the South: Murder and insanity are increasing among the lower-class blacks. " Edward H. Williams, reported that in the South the sheriffs had increased the caliber of their guns from 32 to .38 to shoot down blacks under the influence of cocaine.

Despite the extreme racialization of the issue that took place prior to the passage of the Act, contemporary research on the subject indicates that black Americans used cocaine and opium at much lower rates than white Americans.

Some time later, on January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution would be approved, establishing “Prohibition” where alcoholic beverages were prohibited until, due to its thunderous failure, creating “mafias” and criminal organizations , was repealed on December 5, 1933.

In 1937, marijuana would be banned through the Marijuana Tax Act and years later international pressure would be exerted to force the rest of the world to embark on an absurd and cruel prohibitionist crusade that has caused and continues to cause millions of victims for several decades.