The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966 Research Paper

The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966 - Research Paper Example However, history shows that these drugs were once deemed to have social value. The Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act was established in 1966 in order to rehabilitate the drug addicts in three programs namely pretrial civil commitment, a death sentence to those convicted and voluntary (Musto, 1999). It was enacted when social construction of a drug had begun to shift from favorable to unfavorable; people utilized the pronounced the drug’s problematic physiological and psychological effects in order to control its use. Even though these concerns were beneficial, they are not the only reasons the controlled drugs are categorized within jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. Several factors including health concerns, economic, and political factors are still unknown by the public. Drugs were first utilized in the United States in the 1800. The first drug to be used was opium, which was very popular after the civil war. Cocaine was introduced in the 1880 and was used in health drinks by the Coca-Cola Company. Although, it was not a significant concern at the time with the dependency to cocaine, doctors grew a concern about the psychological effects including hallucination, depression, and psychoses. In 1906, morphine was discovered which was used for medicinal purposes prescribed by health practitioners as a pain reliever, while heroin was used to treat respiratory illness. Over the years, there has been increased awareness that these drugs have high potential for causing addiction. At the end of the 19th century, abuse of drugs such as opium and cocaine reached epidemic proportion, and the government began prohibiting their importation. The physicians were also required to label their medicines because they were no longer seen as harmless remedies for pains. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was formed in 1930 by the Treasury Department headed by Harry Anslinger until 1962 (McWilliams, 1990). Under his tenure, the