Drugs in the United States
In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act definition of a drug includes "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals." Consistent with that definition, the U.S. separately defines narcotic drugs and controlled substances, which may include non-drugs, and explicitly excludes tobacco, caffeine and alcoholic beverages.
Contents
Federal drug policy
Main article: Federal drug policy of the United States
War on Drugs
Main article: War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, and the stated aim to define and reduce the illegal drug trade. This initiative includes a set of drug policies of the United States that are intended to discourage the production, distribution, and consumption of illegal psychoactive drugs. The term "War on Drugs" was first used by President Richard Nixon in 1971.
Drug courts
Main article: Drug courts in the United States
The first Drug court in the United States took shape in Miami-Dade County, Florida in 1989 as a response to the growing crack-cocaine problem plaguing the city. Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, then State Attorney Janet Reno and Public Defender Bennett Brummer designed the court for nonviolent offenders to receive treatment. This model of court system quickly became a popular method for dealing with an ever increasing number of drug offenders. Between 1984 and 1999, the number of defendants charged with a drug offense in the Federal courts increased 3% annually, from 11,854 to 29,306. By 1999 there were 472 Drug Courts in the nation and by 2005 that number had increased to 1262 with another 575 Drug Courts in the planning stages; currently all 50 states have working Drug Courts. There are currently about 120,000 people treated annually in Drug Courts, though an estimated 1.5 million eligible people are currently before the courts. There are currently more than 2,400 Drug Courts operating throughout the United States.
Pharmacological drugs
- Pharmacies in the United States
- Prescription drug prices in the United States
- National Drug Code
Doping in sports
Main article: Doping in the United States
Doping is the taking of performance-enhancing drugs, generally for sporting activities. Doping has been detected in many sporting codes, especially baseball and football.
Recreational drugs by type
Alcohol
Main article: Alcohol in the United States
- Prohibition in the United States
- Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States
- Alcohol-related traffic crashes in the United States
Cannabis
Main article: Cannabis in the United States
Cocaine
Main article: Cocaine in the United States
Methamphetamine
Main article: Methamphetamine in the United States
Tobacco
Main article: Tobacco in the United States
- History of commercial tobacco in the United States
- Cigarette taxes in the United States
