War on Drugs facts for kids

The War on Drugs is a term that is commonly used to describe the government initiative to end drug usage across the United States. The campaign started in the early 1970s and was given a major focus under the Reagan Administration of the 1980s. The War on Drug s continued into the 1990s and 2000s, but lacked the priority the US Government had given it under Reagan. It was made popular by President Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

The War on Drugs lead to the capture of many drug dealers and ended many drug dealers in the United States. The Drug Policy Alliance said that the United States had spent $51 billion every year on the War on Drugs.

The War on Drugs also lead to the creation of the saying "Just Say No" which was created by Ronald Reagan's wife and First Lady Nancy Reagan. It was created to prevent teenagers doing drugs.

Images for kids

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  As part of the War on Drugs, the US spends approximately $500 million per year on aid for Colombia, largely used to combat guerrilla groups such as FARC that are involved in the illegal drug trade.

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  Mexican troops during a gun battle in Michoacán, 2007. Mexico's drug war claims nearly 50,000 lives each year.

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  Operation Mallorca, US Drug Enforcement Administration, 2005

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  Graph demonstrating increases in United States incarceration rate

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  The U.S. military invasion of Panama in 1989

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  Mexico is scheduled to receive US$1.6 billion in equipment and strategic support from the United States through the Mérida Initiative

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  Circa 1 million people are incarcerated every year in the United States for drug law violations.