Pubdate: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 Source: Los Angeles Daily News (CA) Copyright: 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.dailynews.com/writealetter Website: http://www.dailynews.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/246 Author: Tony Newman Note: Tony Newman is the director of media relations at the Drug Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org). Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ronald+Reagan PORTRAYALS OF REAGAN FAIL TO SHOW PRICE OF WAR ON DRUGS DID you know that former President Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 this Sunday? If you didn't, you will soon - we're about to witness an avalanche of press timed to his birthday. Both Democrats and Republicans consistently pay tribute to Reagan's "optimism" and "strength." It was "Morning in America" and Reagan had an "unshakeable faith" in America. There is the iconic image of a Reagan with his cowboy hat. I imagine that even Reagan himself - the actor, performer and president - would be surprised by these uncritically reverential portrayals Reagan was much more divisive than his contemporary hagiographers concede, as they conveniently overlook the growing economic and social disparities that defined his policies. When I reflect on Reagan I think about what he meant for an issue very close to my heart, America's War on drugs. Ronald Reagan brings up different memories than those that the media portrays - and they are not the sunny, feel-good ones that are being evoked by our elected leaders. While Richard Nixon officially launched the drug war in 1971, his war was modest compared to Reagan's war. Reagan's presidency marked the start of a long period of skyrocking rates of incarceration, largely thanks to his unprecedented expansion of the drug war. The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law violations increased from 50,000 in 1980 to more than 400,000 by 1997. Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy made the "drug crisis" one of their signature issues and our country is still suffering the consequences of their actions. While the public hysteria that they whipped up has now subsided, we're still stuck with the same draconian, zero-tolerance policies that were implemented in the 1980s. Who can forget Nancy Reagan sitting in classrooms and all over our television sets with her simplistic "Just Say No" campaign? It was during this time that the DARE programs were implemented in schools across the country, despite their lack of effectiveness. Reagan's War at home was not only ineffective, it was disastrous. Upon taking office in 1981, Reagan shifted drug control resources from health agencies to the Department of Justice. It was under Reagan's guidance in 1986 that the worst of the federal mandatory minimum drug laws were passed into law. These laws included the crack sentencing guidelines that meant that someone possessing just 5 grams (two sugar packets) worth of crack received an automatic five years in prison. These laws filled our prisons for decades with low-level drug users. The irony is that Reagan's own daughter developed a cocaine problem, but I don't imagine Reagan pushed for her to serve five years in a cage for her addiction. Reagan's harsh drug policies not only led to exploding prisons, they blocked expansion of syringe exchange programs that could have prevented hundreds of thousands of people from contracting HIV and dying from AIDS. It's interesting that in all of the press I've read so far celebrating Reagan, I have not seen one word about his radical escalation of the drug war. No word about the exploding prison populations that continue today to bankrupt our state budgets. No words about the militarization of our country, from cops in the schools to SWAT teams routinely breaking down doors. It is predictable that the press will use what would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday to reflect on the former president. But before we enshrine him as a saint, let's take a more comprehensive look past the image of the handsome guy riding a horse with a cowboy hat and a winning smile. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake