PORTRAYALS OF REAGAN FAIL TO SHOW PRICE OF WAR ON DRUGS

DID you know that former President Ronald Reagan would have turned
100 this Sunday? If you didn't, you will soon - we're about to
witness an avalanche of press timed to his birthday.

Both Democrats and Republicans consistently pay tribute to Reagan's
"optimism" and "strength." It was "Morning in America" and Reagan had
an "unshakeable faith" in America. There is the iconic image of a
Reagan with his cowboy hat. I imagine that even Reagan himself - the
actor, performer and president - would be surprised by these
uncritically reverential portrayals

Reagan was much more divisive than his contemporary hagiographers
concede, as they conveniently overlook the growing economic and
social disparities that defined his policies. When I reflect on
Reagan I think about what he meant for an issue very close to my
heart, America's War on drugs.

Ronald Reagan brings up different memories than those that the media
portrays - and they are not the sunny, feel-good ones that are being
evoked by our elected leaders.

While Richard Nixon officially launched the drug war in 1971, his war
was modest compared to Reagan's war. Reagan's presidency marked the
start of a long period of skyrocking rates of incarceration, largely
thanks to his unprecedented expansion of the drug war. The number of
people behind bars for nonviolent drug law violations increased from
50,000 in 1980 to more than 400,000 by 1997.

Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy made the "drug crisis" one of their
signature issues and our country is still suffering the consequences
of their actions. While the public hysteria that they whipped up has
now subsided, we're still stuck with the same draconian,
zero-tolerance policies that were implemented in the 1980s.

Who can forget Nancy Reagan sitting in classrooms and all over our
television sets with her simplistic "Just Say No" campaign? It was
during this time that the DARE programs were implemented in schools
across the country, despite their lack of effectiveness.

Reagan's War at home was not only ineffective, it was disastrous.
Upon taking office in 1981, Reagan shifted drug control resources
from health agencies to the Department of Justice. It was under
Reagan's guidance in 1986 that the worst of the federal mandatory
minimum drug laws were passed into law. These laws included the crack
sentencing guidelines that meant that someone possessing just 5 grams
(two sugar packets) worth of crack received an automatic five years
in prison. These laws filled our prisons for decades with low-level drug users.

The irony is that Reagan's own daughter developed a cocaine problem,
but I don't imagine Reagan pushed for her to serve five years in a
cage for her addiction.

Reagan's harsh drug policies not only led to exploding prisons, they
blocked expansion of syringe exchange programs that could have
prevented hundreds of thousands of people from contracting HIV and
dying from AIDS.

It's interesting that in all of the press I've read so far
celebrating Reagan, I have not seen one word about his radical
escalation of the drug war. No word about the exploding prison
populations that continue today to bankrupt our state budgets. No
words about the militarization of our country, from cops in the
schools to SWAT teams routinely breaking down doors.

It is predictable that the press will use what would have been Ronald
Reagan's 100th birthday to reflect on the former president. But
before we enshrine him as a saint, let's take a more comprehensive
look past the image of the handsome guy riding a horse with a cowboy
hat and a winning smile.