The Drug Reform Policy in the United States has been slowly progressing, throughout history, working towards the day when the use of illegal drugs in our country will finally dissipate. Although drugs are a substance that have followed man around for almost all time, it wasn't even until the early 1800's that America began to realize that we might have a problem on our hands. It has taken many ordinances, acts, and even protests to develop what is still being furthered, "The Drug Reform Policy." .
The first American anti-drug law was an 1875 San Francisco ordinance, which outlawed the smoking of opium in opium dens. (Brecher, pg. 5) It was passed because of the fear that Chinese men were luring white women to their "ruin" in opium dens. "Ruin" was defined as associating with Chinese men. It was followed by other similar laws, including federal laws in which trafficking in opium was forbidden to anyone of Chinese origin, and restrictions on the importation of smoking opium. The laws did not have anything really to do with the importation of opium as a drug, because the importation and use of opium in other forms- such as for common medication- were not affected. The laws were directed at smoking opium because it was perceived that the smoking of opium was a peculiarly Chinese custom. (Brecher, pg. 5) In short, it was a way of legally targeting the Chinese. .
Cocaine was outlawed because of its fears that superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiends" or "Cocainized Niggers" (actual terms used by newspapers in the early 1900's) take large amounts of cocaine, which would make them go on violent sexual rampage and rape white women. There is very little evidence that any black men actually did this, if only because it would have been certain death. The United States set a record in 1905 with 105-recorded lynching of black men. At the same time, police nationwide switched from .32 caliber pistols to .
