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Anthony Benezet publishes the first American essay on alcoholism.
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Dr. Benjamin Rush publishes a book that speaks of the dangers of constant drunkeness and claims it should be treated as a medical issue.
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Dr. Benjamin Rush calls for the creation of a sober house for "confirmed drunkards."
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Massachusetts forbids the sale of alcohol to Native Americans.
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First prohibition movement. In this time 13 states pass prohibition laws, but by 1868 9 appeal them.
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The American Association for the Cure of Inebriety is founded, with the idea that it is a disease.
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Follows a pattern of early laws aimed at drug users rather then the drug itself. Opium dens are outlawed, but opium is not.
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Sigmun Freud and other notable physicians say cocaine can treat alcoholism.
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Founded under the principal that "The Law Must Recognize a Leading Fact: Medical Not Penal Treatment Reforms the Drunkard."
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Houses close forcing drunkards to go to drunk tanks and jail.
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39 states pass prohibition laws and only 2 repeal them.
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Most houses collapse in this time
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Tax to monitor drugs. Not a prohibition.
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In the Harrison Tax Act, addiction was viewed as a medical issue and not a criminal one. They did not feel it was a punishable behavior.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to grow cannibus as a profitable crop.
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Alcohol is prohibited
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About 100 of every 100,000 U.S. citizens are incarcerated.
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Prohibition repealed. Drinking had fallen, but organized crime had risen and there was a need for tax dollars.
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Marijuana is seen as the "foremost menace to life, health and morals in America." All 48 states have laws regulating Marijuana sales, possesion and use,
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Alcoholica Anonymous is formed
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Federal government gets involved in addiction treatment and research,
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Only placed a tax on marijuana, still legal. States then made the drug illegal. Use dropped dramatically.
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The Research Council on Problems of Alcohol is published, bringing many prominent scientists into the field.
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About 120 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated.
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Marty Mann founds the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism. Believes alcohol is a disease and major health problem.
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About 105 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated.
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American Medical Association first defines alcoholism.
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American Medical Association declares alcoholism is a disease.
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AMA says alcoholism is not a disease, but alcoholics should be treated as patients. "Hospitals should be urged to consider admission of such patients with a diagnosis of alcoholism based upon the condition of the individual patient, rather than a general objection to all such patients."
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Association of Halfway House Alcoholism Programs of North Americ founded.
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About 110 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated.
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Drug use soars and is seen as more socially acceptable.
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American Bar Association and AMA release report, Drug Addiction: Crime or Disease?
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American Public Health Association declares alcoholism is a treatable disease,
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First federal law outlawing drugs. Deemed LSD, amphetamines, and barbiturates as harmful drugs and allowed FDA to recommend to Departments of Education, Welfare, Health ways to control them.
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Marijuana Tax Act is unconstitutional because in order to pay the tax one must declare they are a seller, incriminating themselves under state laws. This violated the 5th Amendment,
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Placed control of all dangerous drugs under the federal government. Created the Drug Enforcement Agency to contorl them. First act that was not a tax.
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About 100 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated
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People start wondering if alcoholism and drug abuse treatments should be lumped together.
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Richard Nixon declares a "War on Drugs."
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Study commisioned by the Controlled Substance Act says Marijuana should be a misdemeanor.
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Avram Goldstein claims that heroine works on the brains reward pathway. This leads the pateint to crave more and more of the drug, making them addicted.
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About 140 of every 100,000 citizens are incarceratred. (War on drugs has fully taken effect)
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Worked to criminalize designer drugs. People previously tried to avoid persecution by chemically altering illegal drugs. This made those drugs illegal.
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Crack cocaine use spikes.
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Penalties for trafficking drugs .
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Ronald Reagan declares a new war on drugs, moving away from treatment and towards punishment,
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US Supreme Court defines alcoholism as willful misconduct.
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Diseasing of America: Addiction Treatment Out of Control is published with the sole purpose of opposing 12 step recovery programs.
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About 250 of every 100,000 citizens are incacerated. (Crack Years)
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President Clinton includes treatment for addicts in his health care proposal.
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480 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated
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17,000 Americans die from illicit drug use
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n the Journal of the American Medical Association, Drs. McLellan, Lewis, O'Brien, and Kleber call for addiction to be once again viewed as a mental illness.
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New grassroots movement to treat addiction as a disease are dubbed the "New Recovery Advocacy Movement."
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Obama's administration declares they want to end the use of the term "War on Drugs" and want to display it as harm prevention. Despite this the policies of the administration have not been much different then those of Bush.
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Study shows that 22,000,000 million people used illicit drugs. This represents 9% of the population.
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23,000,000 million people needed treatment in 2010, but only 2.6 million people got it. Most people who did not get the treatment said they did not feel they needed it.
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About 500 of every 100,000 citizens are incarcerated.
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Colorado and Washington state legalize marijuana.
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Magnus Huss creates the term Alcoholism and describes it as a disease resulting from constant drinking.
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Charles B. Towns Hospital for Drug and Alcoholic Addictions founded in NY to treat wealthy users
