Reimagining U.S. Drug Policy Post-Pandemic
Ohio State Legal Studies Research Paper No. 684
Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, No. 43, February 2022
10 Pages Posted: 22 Feb 2022 Last revised: 1 Mar 2022
Date Written: February 17, 2022
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused increased drug use and a widespread decline in mental health throughout American society. Yet, despite the unprecedented pandemic, society as a whole has shown an impressive ability to adapt to new ways of living, suggesting that a dramatically different version of America is not only possible, but achievable. Domestic drug policy, which has needlessly prohibited and criminalized a vast array of drugs since the early 1900s, is an area ripe for a similar dramatic change. This paper explores how the pandemic, combined with concurrent events including a change in Federal Administration and nationwide protests against systemic racism, presents an opportunity for our country to rethink its long-standing drug prohibition on a national scale.
Keywords: COVID, pandemic, drugs, drug policy, protests, legalization, War on Drugs
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