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DEA MUSEUM

On Permanent Display:
Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History

WELCOME TO THE DEA MUSEUM

On Permanent Display:
Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History

From opium dens in the mid- 1800's to the international drug mafias of present day, Illegal Drugs in America: .4 Modern History traces the impact that drugs have had on American society and the efforts by federal law enforcement to combat this growing problem. The exhibit follows the evolution of the Drug Enforcement Administration to its present-day status. Illegal Drugs in America also highlights major trends in illegal drug use, as well as. milestones and accomplishments that DEA und its predecessor agencies have made in this global conflict. Illegal Drugs in America features artifacts and photographs gathered from around the world to tell this dramatic and compelling story.

The history of' federal drug law enforcement traces back to before the turn of the century, when the federal government began instituting gradual restrictions and controls on newly discovered "wonder drugs" such as heroin and cocaine. Over the next half-century, America would continue to grapple with the negative affects of drugs on society. Multiple government agencies would be charged with monitoring and enforcing the drug laws of the United States.

Over the past several decades, the federal government's role in fighting the war against drugs has increased. As the organizations dealing in drugs have grown larger and more sophisticated. so too has America's commitment and ability to combat these groups throughout the country and around the world.

On Permanent Display:
Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History

America's First Drug Epidemic
1850-1914

When Chinese Immigrants came to California in the 1850s to work in gold mines and on railroads, they Introduced America to opium smoking. Opium use spread east, and by the 1890s opium dens were commonplace in America, creating for the first time American addicts. At a time when medicine was relatively primitive. doctors and patients gratefully embraced the array of opiates like morphine, laudanum, paregoric and codeine. These drugs were easily obtained, and great enthusiasm and casual use followed.

Enforcing New Drug Laws
1919-1950s

Once the debilitating power of addicting drugs was recognized, many American cities and states began to pass anti-drug laws. America became involved in the international movement to restrict addicting drugs solely to medical use. Americans saw new organizations appearing to help control illegal substances, such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Bureau of Prohibition, and the Bureau of Narcotics. Domestic law enforcement, societal shunning, and controls on the feared substances combined lo largely eliminate heroin and cocaine from American life.

Rise of the Modern Drug Culture
1960s-1970s

By the 1960s, most Americans had forgotten the lessons of the first drug epidemic, and according to the Beat literary types (Bohemians), drugs and altered states were now being seen as part of being hip, social rebels. These cultural icons convinced millions to re-learn the painful consequences of rampant drug use-even as the drug menu was expanding to include amphetamines and psychedelics. The drug culture exploded as baby boomers embraced not only in the use of drugs, but dealing and trafficking in drugs as well.

Return of Cocaine and the Rise of Cartels
1970s-1980s

Drug use in America reached its peak in 1979, when one in ten Americans used drugs on a regular basis. During the 1970s, cocaine reappeared, the price steadily dropped, and by the mid-1980s, six million Americans used it regularly. By then, drug mafias based in Colombia were powerful, well organized, and well established. When their middle-class customers began to shun powder cocaine, these criminals refocused on traditional inner-city drug markets. They introduced crack, an intensely addictive and relatively cheap form of smokable cocaine, setting off America's most devastating drug epidemic.

The DEA Today
1990s - Present

Today, drug gangs from Central and South America dominate many aspects of the American drug trade. In the mid-1990s, traffickers from Mexico further expanded into methamphetamine, a market they quickly came to dominate. The magnitude of new addicts and street-level power of the Colombia and Mexico-based drug cartels pose a major national challenge. America has developed new anti-drug strategies and tactics, whether through demand reduction and treatment programs, workplace drug testing, or emphasis on money laundering and conspiracy cases, and increases in law enforcement resources.

Changing Exhibit Gallery

This exhibit area features educational Information about drugs in today's culture. Target America is the first of many exhibits at the DEA Museum to occupy this area, and will run from the Fall of 2002 through the Spring of 2003.

The Drug Enforcement Administration
MUSEUM & Visitor Center
Pentagon City - Arlington, VA

MUSEUM OFFICES:
Phone: (202) 307-3463
Fax: (202) 307-8956

ON THE WEB:
www.deamuseum.org

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Tuesday through Friday 10A.M.-4 P.M.
Please call for group tour information.

PROGRAMS AND TOURS:
The DEA Museum offers programs and tours for school and community groups of limited size. For information please call (202) 307-3463 weekdays between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.

TRANSPORTATION:
Street parking is limited. On Metrorail, take the Blue or Yellow Line to the Pentagon City station.
Paid parking is also available at the Pentagon City Mall across the street.

MAP/DIRECTIONS:
The DEA Museum and Visitors Center is conveniently located just outside Washington. D.C. close to the Pentagon.