The Drug Czar

In the winter of 1989, President George Bush appoints William Bennett to head the newly formed Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). This grand gesture is mostly a symbolic effort designed to show that the government is on the front lines of the drug war. With its limited budget and no real power, there are serious limits to what the ONDCP can be expected to do.

Nevertheless, Bennett makes quite an impression as the first "Drug Czar" — as his position soon comes to be known. He fiercely promotes the idea that drug users must take moral responsibility for their evil behavior. His strategy denormalizes drug use and stigmatizes the addict. Personal weakness creates addiction, he suggests, and this failure of will is deserving of punishment. Bennett's morality crusade is embraced throughout the nation, cementing the already expanding law-enforcement approach to drugs. Sentences become increasingly harsh. Public perception of drug users as degenerate, immoral criminals is firmly entrenched.

William Bennett, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy (Drug Czar) Washington, DC. David Burnett, 1990