The War On Drugs: 50 Years Later NPR examines the costs and effectiveness of the United States' War on Drugs since its declaration on June 18, 1971.
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The War On Drugs: 50 Years Later

Mike Marshall is the co-founder and director of Oregon Recovers. He says he's concerned the state is failing to expand addiction treatment capacity in a strategic way. "So we put the cart before the horse," he says. Eric Westervelt/NPR hide caption

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Eric Westervelt/NPR

Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test

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Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) in The Wire HBO hide caption

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HBO

How TV Dramas Informed And Misinformed Perceptions Of The War On Drugs

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Huntington was once ground-zero for this opioid epidemic. Several years ago, they formed a team that within days visits everyone who overdoses to try to pull them back from the brink. The county's overdose rate plummeted. They wrestled down an HIV cluster. They finally felt hope. Then the pandemic arrived and it undid much of their effort: overdoses shot up again, so did HIV diagnoses. David Goldman/AP hide caption

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David Goldman/AP

Overdose Deaths Rose During The War On Drugs, But Efforts To Reduce Them Face Backlash

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Will wipes away sweat on a hot day while walking down Willow Street in Lynn, Mass., as he looks to distribute safety supplies to drug users on the street. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

He Lost Nearly Everything To Addiction. Then An Arrest Changed His Life

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