In 1971, President Richard Nixon began the War on Drugs as a U.S. Government campaign. The aim was to decrease drug usage by implementing aggressive law enforcement, mandatory sentencing, and increasing funding for interdiction efforts. Despite the cost of over $1 trillion in federal, state, and local spending over five decades, drug use rates remained unchanged while incarceration rates rose. The campaign's fundamental policy failures are highlighted by this massive investment without a corresponding public health return.
