Analysis Of The House I Live In

The House I Live In paints a picture of America that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Eugene Jarecki’s investigation of the history of drug laws and drug culture in the United States reveals a problem that may be worse than the “drug problem” itself. The social class and racial targeting illustrated in the film seems to be the true root of the problem. Furthermore, the treatment of those convicted is inconsistent with scientific findings about addiction and rehabilitation. In the following paragraphs I will reiterate the origins of “The War on Drugs” explained in the film, outline the failures and issues with the United States’ current drug laws, and lastly I will explain the biological mechanisms that occur in the brain that cause addiction and put forth possible changes, based on scientific research, that should be made to current drug policies in America.

The House I Live In makes it very clear that the United States’ drug laws have no correlation to the scientific evaluation of the proportional risks of the drugs. Rather, the laws have everything to do with the race or social class that is associated with the drug. More specifically, the first anti-opium laws passed in the 1870s were meant to hinder Chinese immigrants, the first anti-marijuana laws passed in the early 1900s were directed at Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants, and the irrationally harsh anti-crack cocaine laws passed by the Reagan administration in the 1980s targeted poor African-Americans. However, it was President Nixon who served as the engine that throttled “The War on Drugs” forward in the 1970s. Nixon used aggressive anti-drug propaganda to gain momentum for reelection in 1973. While in office, Nixon greatly increased the size and scale of governmen...

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...that treatment can cut drug abuse in half, reduce criminal activity up to 80 percent, and reduce arrests up to 64 percent.” Why then do lawmakers continue to keep in place the current policies? The answer lies in The House I Live In. Politicians do not want to upset the current system in place, which targets minorities and the poor. Also, the film explained that in some areas, prison facilities drive local economies by supplying jobs and paying taxes. To change the laws would, in effect, cause many people to lose their jobs, which is one cause of drug addiction in the first place. However, the United States’ government has the moral obligation to make changes to the current drug laws. It is unfair to groups targeted by the laws, and the federal debt could be greatly reduced if less money was put into law enforcement. Addiction is the problem, not the use of drugs.