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Reagan’s War on Drugs, Background Guide
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Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the Reagan’s War on Drugs Committee! My name is Anna Helgøy, and I will be
your crisis director for your committee. I’m a fourth-year student majoring in political science
and public relations, and in addition to having been a privileged member of the UGA model UN
team for four years. I am serving my second term as the team’s public relations director. This is
also my fourth and last time directing an UGAMUNC committee, and I am prepared to make it
my best effort yet.
Our crises are being run a little differently this year, and this means that although I will be in
charge of this committee and plan its direction, I will not be chairing your sessions. That job has
been handed to my talented friends and colleagues, Samta Savla and Nicolas Marin. Samta is a
fourth-year student studying international affairs, and she has been part of the model UN team
for four years. Last year she was actually in charge of UGAMUNC as our Director General –
needless to say, she knows a good delegate when she sees one and her expectations are high.
Nicolas is currently a sophomore at UGA, majoring in finance and international affairs. It’s his
second year on the team and his first year serving as our finance director. I hope you realize that
you are in very capable hands. Awards will be a joint decision between the chairs and myself.
I am incredibly excited about our topic for this committee: the Reagan administration’s drug
policy is one of the most complex, controversial, and interesting string of political decisions in
North American and Latin American history. The president’s intense campaign against the use of
drugs affected more policy areas than anyone could foresee, touching immigration issues, racial
inequality, incarceration, and the spread of American democratic values abroad. In the first
weekend of February, we will work through these issues in a variety of ways and endless crisis
updates. It will require collaboration, hard work, and individual agendas. At the end you will be
exhausted – but hopefully refreshed with a newfound understanding of the broad effects of
policy and how sensitive it can be, as well as what effects a superpower’s political direction can
have on other parts of the world.
The committee will consist of key actors in drug policy creation and implementation during the
1980s, and your goals are to advice and execute President Reagan’s policy. Committee members
will be granted a great deal of authority in how exactly this happens. For the purpose of the
committee, we will try our best to put all members on equal playing field regarding authority,
although a natural hierarchy is inevitably present in all organizations. It is then up to the
individual delegates to find ways to include themselves in the direction of the committee through
establishing networks and using their portfolio powers that we will provide. I strongly encourage
you to carefully read through the last section of this background guide, which goes into details
about how crisis committees run and how you can maneuver your way through them – it will
make things a lot easier for you, especially if this is your first time doing crisis.
Another point of importance that you should know is that position papers are required in this
committee. If you do not turn in a position paper you will not be eligible to receive an award in
the committee. Please turn in your paper to my email, listed at the end of this letter, or hand in a
hard copy as you walk into our first committee session on February 5th.
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Lastly, I hope that after you finish reading this background guide you are left with a feeling of
excitement and motivation to participate in a great debate and exploration of policy measures. I
certainly look forward to seeing you perform, and will do everything I can to make your
conference experience enjoyable. Feel free to email me at any time before the conference at
[email protected]; I would be happy to provide you with further readings or preparation
materials, or answer any questions about the committee.
I can’t wait to meet you!
Best,
Anna Helgøy
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A History of the War on Drugs
This section of the background guide is not necessarily reflective of the committee’s chronology;
rather, it is meant to provide you with information on the political environment surrounding the
drug war and examples of policy directions. The ultimate decisions regarding Reagan’s drug
policy will be left up to the committee, though they should, for the most part, reflect Reagan’s
ideology.
Beginnings: The Nixon Era
The 1960s gave birth to the pinnacle of drug use in the United States. While marijuana became a
social stimulant, others sought to explore the realm with hallucinogens such as LSD. As a
response to the spike in drug use, the Johnson administration passed the Narcotics Addict
Rehabilitation Act of 19961, which aimed to establish that drug abuse was categorized as a
mental illness. Furthermore, this paved the way for future federal involvement on drug abuse.
The Modern War on Drugs began when President Richard Nixon declared a “war on
drugs” in 19712. Under Nixon’s presidency, Congress passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse
Prevention and Control Act of 1970 including the Controlled Substances Act, which most
importantly established the five schedules for drug regulation. The Office of Drug Abuse Law
Enforcement (ODALE) was created in 1972 and established task forces comprised of local and
federal agents to combat drug proliferation on the domestic (“street”) level. The initial target of
America’s war on drugs was marijuana; however, this soon changed with the huge influx of
cocaine and other narcotics flowing into the country. In 1973, President Nixon created a “super
agency” to address the now diverse arena of drug abuse and smuggling. This super agency was
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and it was comprised of personnel from multiple
agencies such as the CIA, ODALE, Customs, etc.3 America’s war on drugs did not end with the
resignation of President Nixon. This was just the beginning.
The Fight Intensifies: The Reagan Administration
Although Richard Nixon established many of the formal institutions at work in the drug war, the
campaign truly escalated under President Ronald Reagan. When Reagan assumed office in 1981,
the use of cocaine saw a significant increase in the United States, most of which was smuggled
from Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru through south Florida via airfare and boats. Acting on his
campaign promise of reduced crime rates, Reagan declared an all-out war on drugs and
overturned many of the Nixon policies that had focused on treatment and state decriminalization
laws. Instead, Reagan emphasized law enforcement and harsh punishments for drug use.4 The
1
Drug Policy Alliance. N.d. A Brieg History of the Drug War. Web. http://www.drugpolicy.org/new-solutionsdrug-policy/brief-history-drug-war
2
K. McIntyre, R. Osterloh, C. Sawick. Stanford University. 1999. The United States War on Drugs. Web.
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/htele.html
3
Public Broadcasting System. 2014. Thirty Years of America’s Drug War. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/
4
M.H. Cooper. CQ Researcher, 1993. Drug-Policy Debate: Is There Too Much Focus on Law Enforcement? Vol. 3
Issue 11, p. 241-261. Web. http://library.cqpress.com.proxyremote.galib.uga.edu/cqresearcher/getpdf.php?id=cqresrre2000072800 4
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federal budget of 1982 awarded no less than $1.3 billion to the war on drugs, most of which was
specifically earmarked for operations that would decrease the supply of illegal substances. This
resulted largely in increased border control and interdiction.5
In addition to the start of the Reagan era, 1981 also marked the rise of the Medellin
cartel, which soon became the biggest distributor of cocaine in history. Led by Pablo Escobar,
the cartel consisted of himself, the Ochoa family, Carlos Lehder, and Jose Gacha. The same year,
the U.S. government ratified a bilateral extradition treaty with Colombia, which became a big
threat to the Medellin cartel in the coming decade, magnified by Ronald Reagan’s presidency
and his aggressive continuation of the war on drugs.6 In order to combat the smuggling of illegal
substances, then-Vice President Bush established the South Florida Task Force, an interagency
group under the National Narcotic Border Interdiction System. The task force focused on
reducing marijuana supply after outcries from parent groups across the United States, which only
resulted in smugglers changing drug strategy: instead of marijuana, they were now smuggling the
much more constrained and easier-to-carry substance of cocaine.7 As supply of the substance
rose, prices went down rapidly, which increased the abuse of the drug further within United
States borders, a trend that went through the roof with the introduction of crack cocaine – the
cheap, smokeable version of cocaine.8 This trend became most prominent in minority
neighborhoods across southern Florida and California, which led to an outbreak of increased
violence and crime in these areas.
In 1986, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act due to public pressure from realizing
evidence that Reagan’s interdiction strategy was turning out unsuccessful. The act increased the
budget for the war on drugs to $3.9 billion, and although about three quarters of that funding was
still going to Reagan’s supply-restricting policies, the increase also focused on a demand-side
strategy, meaning it funded prevention measures in education as well as drug treatments, much
like what Richard Nixon had intended. The drug war was one of the few policies for which
President Reagan supported increased public funding, and so he welcomed the budget
adjustment – however, he tried to reduce the execution of the demand preventing measures such
as drug education and treatment.9
Congress took the Anti-Drug Abuse Act even further in 1988 after public criticism of the
government’s drug policy, and this time, the law seriously increased the demand-side funding of
the drug war. The act also established the Office of National Drug Policy Control, which was to
be directed by William Bennett who had previously served as the Secretary of Education.
Perhaps most importantly, however, the new law established new mandatory sentencing
guidelines for drug policy abuses: for first-time drug traffickers, a two-tier model was enacted,
one consisted of a minimum sentence of five years and the other of ten years. The application of
either depended on the amount of substance the charged trafficker was carrying; if someone
carried 50 grams of cocaine base, the ten-year sentence would apply, versus five kilograms of
5
Ibid.
Public Broadcasting System, 2014. Thirty Years of America’s Drug War. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/
7
M.H. Cooper. CQ Researcher, 1993. Drug-Policy Debate: Is There Too Much Focus on Law Enforcement? Vol. 3
Issue 11, p. 241-261. Web. http://library.cqpress.com.proxyremote.galib.uga.edu/cqresearcher/getpdf.php?id=cqresrre2000072800
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid. 6
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powdered cocaine, commonly referred to as the 100-1 ratio.10 (Whether or not cocaine base
referred to any kind of processed cocaine or only crack cocaine was challenged in the U.S.
Supreme Court in 2011 in DePierre v. United States, where the Court issued a unanimous ruling
that the wording can be applied to all kinds of processed cocaine.11 However, it is a political
uncertainty whether or not the wording was intentionally targeting crack cocaine.) Additionally,
the law called for a mandatory death penalty sentence for murder while dealing drugs, high
monetary penalties for possession of small amounts of illegal substances, and denial of college
loans and other federal benefits to drug abusers and dealers.12
Another important factor to Reagan’s anti-drug war was the efforts of his wife, Nancy.
Mrs. Reagan made the efforts against drug abuse her main agenda as First Lady and diligently
named her campaign “Just Say No”. The campaign became extremely popular across the United
States, although it was labeled “simplistic” according to some, an example being Abbie Hoffman
who compared her campaign with telling a depressed person to just “cheer up” – however, her
campaign was an image success story for the first lady for key constituents like mothers.13
The CIA Contra Controversy
President Reagan made it one of his top priorities in foreign policy to eradicate communism
around the globe, and the Contra controversy shows just how far the president was willing to go,
pushing his agenda against the law and guidelines from Congress. The story first surfaced when
reporter Gary Webb from San Jose Mercury News published a series of investigative articles
titled “Dark Alliance” in 1996. The series revealed a connection between drug trafficking from
Central America (specifically Nicaragua) into southern Los Angeles African American
neighborhoods through the drug dealers Norwin Menenes and Danilo Blandon with the CIA in
the 1980s. According to Webb, the CIA was fully aware of the drug trafficking and assisted in
making it practically feasible in order to provide a way for the anti-communist Contra movement
in Nicaragua to make a profit. In other words, the Contra movement needed money for weapons
and resources to fight communism in Nicaragua, and since Congress wouldn’t approve direct
monetary support to the movement, they made money by selling drugs to poor neighborhoods in
southern Los Angeles.14
The story spread fast, and Democratic political figures in Los Angeles were quick to
jump on the idea that the CIA was behind a huge operation to disadvantage African American
people by purposely introducing crack cocaine in these neighborhoods. However, Webb started
receiving criticism just a few days later by big media names such as the New York Times, LA
Times, and the Washington Post, and soon, Webb’s reputation as a journalist was completely
10
United States Sentencing Commission, n.d. Report on Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy. Chapter 6, Section
C-3. Web. http://www.ussc.gov/report-cocaine-and-federal-sentencing-policy-2
11
Sotomayor, 2011. Scotus Blog. DePierre v. United States. Web. http://www.scotusblog.com/casefiles/cases/depierre-v-united-states/
12
M.H. Cooper. CQ Researcher, 1993. Drug-Policy Debate: Is There Too Much Focus on Law Enforcement? Vol.
3 Issue 11, p. 241-261. Web. http://library.cqpress.com.proxyremote.galib.uga.edu/cqresearcher/getpdf.php?id=cqresrre2000072800
13
Public Broadcasting System, n.d. Biography: Nancy Reagan. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/reagan-nancy/
14
Craig Delaval, n.d. Cocaine, Conspiracy Theories, and the C.I.A. in Central America. Frontline for Public
Broadcasting System. Web. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/cia.html 6
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demolished by his own editor’s public apology for the story.15 It did spark an internal
investigation by CIA’s Inspector General, an independent investigator approved by Congress.
This led to the publication of the Frederick Hitz report on the investigation, commonly known as
the Hitz report. The report revealed that Gary Webb’s stories were exaggerated versions of
facts,16 and the CIA did in fact contribute to some degree of accommodation in drug trafficking
into Los Angeles by overlooking big actors in the game. An example is show in the instance that
the CIA prosecuted a lot of Norwin Menenes’ family members for drug trafficking, but not
Menenes himself, because they wanted to keep him on as an informant to the agency.17 The CIA
stands by its innocence in direct involvement with drug trafficking today, but admits to some
flaws in its operations handling the crack cocaine epidemic.
Modern Implications – the Aftermath
This section is included so you know about the implications of Reagan’s policies and what
direction it ended up taking the country.
The Bush Administration:
With Reagan’s term in the White House ending in 1989, the vice president during his
administration, George H. W. Bush, took over the presidency. Bush came into the Oval Office
with the same logic that his predecessor had on the drug trade. His strict approach against the
consumption and global distribution of drugs pushed the United States deeper into the drug wars
and ultimately had long lasting effects that are still being seen today in modern America.
Less than a year into his presidency, Bush gave one of the most memorable speeches
regarding the drug war. Holding up a bag of crack cocaine, Bush used this moment to further
stoke the public’s fear and anger against the effects of the drug trade on them.18 According to
Bush, undercover agents had allegedly bought the bag of crack in a parking lot adjacent to the
White House. This added public relations plus, was meant to show the American public just how
widespread the drug problem had become. Bush made a pledge to increase funding to fuel the
drug war to a tune of $1 billion dollars, and pushed for a policy of, “more jails, more prisons,
more courts, and more prosecutors.”19 This speech was the beginning of Bush’s strong, hard-line
approach to the drug trade.
One of Bush’s first acts as President in combatting the drug trade was the establishment
of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1989. This new government entity was created
to provide guidance and policy advice to the President regarding “drug-control issues,
coordinates drug-control activities, and related funding across the Federal government, and
produces the Drug Control Strategy.”20 This “Drug Control Strategy” is regarded as the blueprint
used by the President to combat the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, crime and violence
15
Ibid.
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
Drug Policy Alliance. “25th Anniversary of President George H.W. Bush Infamous Speech”. 4 Sept, 2014. Web.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2014/09/friday-25th-anniversary-president-george-hw-bushs-infamous-oval-officespeech-escalatin.
19
C-SPAN. “Presidential Address on National Drug Policy”. 5 Sept, 1989. Web. http://www.cspan.org/video/?8921-1/presidential-address-national-drug-policy.
20
The White House. “About ONDCP”. Web. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/about. 16
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related to drug use, and the any health consequences due to the use of drugs. Bush appointed
William Bennett as the first “drug czar” of the newly created drug fighting force.21
In conjunction with his domestic themed initiatives, Bush also employed a number of
internationally drive policies to combat the combat drug trade. Beginning on December 20, 1989,
the US invaded Panama. This operation was called Operation Just Cause and was implemented
to oust the leader of Panama at the time, General Manuel Noriega. 22 Noriega had long been
considered a vital asset by the US government for his work in helping the Contra groups in
Nicaragua. This policy benefited the United State’s fight against Communism spreading through
Central America, and also allowed General Noriega to finance himself by allowing drug
traffickers from Colombia to distribute their contraband through Panama.23 Ultimately, Noriega
surrendered on January 3, 1990 and was imprisoned for 45 years in a US prison.
The Clinton Administration:
Following Operation Just Cause and the Bush Administration’s strong stance against the drug
trade, the administration of Bill Clinton followed. Domestically, Clinton kept policies such as the
severe discrepancy in sentencing for cocaine versus crack possession, and did not implement a
program to pass out clean syringes for addicts.24 This policy furthered the spread of HIV/AIDS
during this time period as well.
Following in the same footsteps as the Bush administration, Clinton had a hard-line
policy in combatting the drug trade overseas. One of the most consequential and comprehensive
policies implemented by a US president to combat the drug trade was Plan Colombia. Plan
Colombia was first discussed October 28, 1998 between US President Clinton and newly elected
Colombian President Andres Pastrana. 25 Plan Colombia was not solely concerned on the drug
trafficking issues plaguing Colombia at the time. Initially, the comprehensive policy was
supposed to target, “counternarcotics, sustainable economic development, the protection of
human rights, humanitarian aid, stimulation of private investment, and overall promotion of
Colombia’s economic growth.”26 The first year of Plan Colombia resulted in $1.3 billion in
foreign aid being invested and five hundred US soldiers being sent to Colombia to train the local
Colombian forces.27
21
Lyman, Michael. “Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts, and Control”. 2011. Web.
https://books.google.com/books?id=Pm71ElFPDuMC&pg=PA344&lpg=PA344&dq=william+bennett+appointment
+to+drug+control&source=bl&ots=CnJRdlkS8z&sig=yuS4BzXWg1njGSPDG4k9gltMMI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBmoVChMImvXYqODEyAIVSaCACh2nPwKD#v=onepage
&q=william%20bennett%20appointment%20to%20drug%20control&f=false.
22
“Operation Just Cause”. Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 1995. Web.
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/history/justcaus.pdf.
23
Engelberg, Stephen with Gerth, Jeff. “Bush and Noriega: Examination of Their Ties”. New York Times. 28 Sept,
1988. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/28/us/bush-and-noriega-examination-of-theirties.html?pagewanted=all.
24
Drug Policy Alliance. “A Brief History of the Drug War”. Web. http://www.drugpolicy.org/new-solutions-drugpolicy/brief-history-drug-war.
25
Authenticated U.S. Government Information. “The President’s News Conference With President Andres Pastrana
of Colombia”. 28 Oct, 1998. Web. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PPP-1998-book2/pdf/PPP-1998-book2-docpg1890.pdf.
26
Grayson, George. “The Cartels: The Story of Mexico’s Most Dangerous Criminal Organizations and Their Impact
on U.S. Security”. 2014. Web. Page 42.
27
United States Government Accountability Office. “Plan Colombia” Oct 2008. Web.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0971.pdf. 8
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Ultimately, Plan Colombia was almost completely focused on the fight against narco
trafficking, and the destruction of coca crops by the aerial spraying of chemical pesticides. The
ultimate goal of the aerial spraying was to disrupt the cocaine trade at its core, the supply. By
2000, coca crop cultivation in Colombia surpassed 160,000 hectares and producing around 700
metric tons of cocaine a year.28 Colombia was regarded by the United States as systemically vital
for the global drug trade.
Plan Colombia did have a number of unintended consequences. With the indiscriminate
spraying of these pesticides, a number of other crops were severely destroyed as well. The US
State Department knew full well that the aerial spraying policy would have adverse effects on
not only crops but also marine life and hydrological areas in Colombia.29 This comprehensive
policy pushed by Clinton and Colombian President Pastrana, did inflict some damage on the
drug trade and supply of cocaine in Colombia, but it did end up inflicting a number of
unintended consequences for the Colombian people who lost their crops and family members as
a result of the US’s incursion in Colombia.
Overall Implications:
The United States strict domestic and international drug policies have resulted in a number of
problems domestically and the global community as a whole. One of the most significant
consequences of the drug war has been the mass incarceration of the American public. The
United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world at 707 per every 100,000 people.30
One of the main causes of this influx in prison sentences for Americans is drug related offenses.
In the year 2013, more than 1.5 million drug arrests were made. It wasn’t until 2010 when
President Barack Obama signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act that arrests made for crack
possession came with a sentencing disparity of 100:1 versus possession of powder cocaine.31
Before this law, people in possession of crack cocaine were given an incomparably longer prison
sentence as oppose to those in possession of powdered cocaine. In 2000, African Americans
comprised 84.2% of arrests made for crack cocaine offenses.32 This led to the mass incarceration
of African Americans who were given a vastly harsher prison sentence. The relative cheapness
of crack cocaine makes it a viable option for minorities.
The drug war has also left its fair share of consequences overseas. As Plan Colombia
wreaked havoc on the drug cartels and civilians found in the crossfire there, Mexico soon took
over the bulk of the Colombian share of drug trafficking to the United States.33 This sudden shift
in geographic location has led to an increase in crime and brutality unseen since the murderous
days of Pablo Escobar in Colombia. Mexico has seen an enormous amount of drug related deaths
28
Mejía, Daniel. “Plan Colombia: An Analysis of Effectiveness and Costs”. The Brookings Institution. Web.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/04/global-drug-policy/Mejia--Colombiafinal.pdf?la=en.
29
U.S. Department of State. “Updated Report on Chemicals Used in the Colombian Aerial Eradication Program”.
December 2003. Web. http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/rpt/aeicc/26581.htm.
30
Drug Policy Alliance. “The Drug War, Mass Incarceration and Race”. June 2015. Web.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Fact_Sheet_Drug_War_Mass_Incarceration_and_Race_June201
5.pdf.
31
American Civil Liberties Union. “Fair Sentencing Act”. Web. https://www.aclu.org/node/17576.
32
Coyle, Michael. “Race and Class Penalties in Crack Cocaine Sentencing”. The Sentencing Project. Web.
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/RaceandClass.Sentencing.pdf.
33
Bagley, Bruce. “Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime In The Americas”. Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars. August 2012. Web. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/BB%20Final.pdf. 9
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since 2007. According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia, y Informacion in
Mexico, 164,345 people have been killed in Mexico since 2007 due to the drug war.34 This
figure is almost twice as many people as have been killed in Iraq since 2007. The U.S.’s drug
war policies have had severe and widespread implications domestically and internationally.
These consequences are still yet to be fully understood, and it will be sometime before we
understand the full extent that the drug war policies have had on US citizens and the global
population as a whole.
34
Breslow, Jason. “The Staggering Death Toll of Mexico’s Drug War”. 27 July, 2015. PBS Frontline. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/drug-lord/the-staggering-death-toll-of-mexicosdrug-war/.
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Committee Members:
This list provides brief biographies of the members of the committee, to help you understand
your own character and stance as well as everyone else’s. I encourage you to try to identify key
allies before you walk into our first committee session. I also suggest that you perform further
research on your character before you write your position paper; questions to keep in mind while
writing the paper are listed later in the background guide. Some of the characters did not actually
assume their title until after 1982, which is the starting point of the committee, but for the
purposes of the conference, assume your title is current. Another thing I would like to note is
that even though some of the characters listed below sound more powerful or authoritative than
others, this committee works collaboratively in advising president Reagan on his actions. We
will hand you your portfolio powers as you enter the first session.
Disclaimer: some of the characters are going to be hard to research – if that is the case, we have
provided some starting fictional guidelines for the character, and you are allowed to reasonably
assume your own background as necessary for you to establish a position (if this is stretched too
far you will hear from crisis staff at the conference.) This means that not everything provided in
these biographies are exactly true to history, but this is what we will be working with during the
conference. Also keep in mind that the most important factors regarding your performance in the
conference do not lie in your character’s background – they lie in how you shape your
character’s future.
John C. “Jack” Lawn, Deputy Administrator of the DEA
Before working with the DEA, Lawn was a special agent of the FBI in charge of their
field office in San Antonio. He was appointed as deputy administrator of the DEA in
1982. In his role, he is tasked with answering directly to the Administrator of the DEA
and working in conjunction with the acting administrators to handle the organization’s
responsibilities. The DEA is the most important law enforcement agency regarding
distribution and sales of illegal substances.35 Jack Lawn is known for being a fearless
negotiator and knows his way around the political system, and is a personal friend of
Ronald Reagan’s White House Chief of Staff, James Baker.
Francis M. “Bud” Mullen, Acting Administrator of the DEA
Francis Mullen was a graduate of Central Connecticut State College. He became an FBI
Special Agent in 1962, and was a well-respected FBI agent until he was recruited to the
DEA, working all over the country specializing in white-collar crime.36 He is considered
an expert on crime in Florida, Los Angeles, and New Orleans since these are the places
he had the most senior roles as a special agent. In 1981 he was designated Acting
Administrator of the DEA by Ronald Reagan. In his capacity as acting administrator of
the DEA, he assists in the operations support, intelligence and human resources divisions.
35
Allgov.com, n.d. “U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration”. Web.
http://www.allgov.com/departments/department-of-justice/us-drug-enforcement-administration-dea?agencyid=7195
36
dea.gov, n.d. “Drug Enforcement Administration 1980-1985”. Web. http://www.dea.gov/about/history/19801985.pdf 11
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Gerald H. Hochman, Director of the Investigative Unit at the South Florida Task Force
Gerald Hochman was appointed the investigative director of the South Florida Task
Force by Vice President George H. W. Bush. The task force was established to tackle the
inflow of illegal substances that came into southern Florida by boat or small airplanes, as
well as to decrease the abuse of such substances. Hochman has an investigative
responsibility in this, and works closely with the DEA leadership in providing
information about smugglers and their routes into the United States. His responsibilities
reach far beyond Florida, as this is seen as simply the gateway for the increased drug
abuse across the U.S.
Jim Dingfelder, Task Coordinator for the South Florida Task Force
Jim Dingfelder is the staff and task coordinator for the task force in Florida, working side
by side with Gerald Hochman and George Heavey. Dingfelder holds the administrative
responsibility of the task force, and is a key policy creator regarding drug enforcement.
Dingfelder is known for getting his way and performs the most extraordinary tasks,
reaching distributors of illegal substances all over the Americas in creative ways, hoping
to ultimately catch their locations and save the United States from the crisis they are
facing.
George D. Heavey, Regional Customs Service Commissioner of Florida
George Heavey is a crucial partner to the South Florida Task Force with his leadership in
customs and clearing imports into the area. He works closely with the members of the
task force to decrease the amounts of illegal substances flowing into the state and the rest
of the country, being the only one in this special committee with access to information of
exactly how drug enforcement is performing with regards to how much illegal substances
they catch at the Florida border. This puts Heavey in a unique position, possibly facing
distributors of this pest directly.
Robert “Bobby” Nieves, Head of International Operations and Special Agent of the
DEA
Bobby Nieves was a special agent for the DEA from 1975 to 1995, and he served as the
head of international operations, meaning he is an expert on the inner workings of the
global drug industry.37 Nieves is invaluable to President Reagan’s efforts, and works as a
liaison between the DEA and the CIA, as they share a lot of the intelligence he gathers
about illegal activities related to drugs internationally. He has spent a lot of time studying
drug trafficking from Central America and has a lot of connections in the area, as well as
in the White House.
37
Public Broadcasting System, Frontline. N.d. “Drug Wars – Interview – Bobby Nieves”. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/nieves.html
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Oliver “Ollie” North, Senior member of the National Security Council – Deputy
Director for Political-Military Affairs
Oliver North was a platoon commander during the Vietnam War, and as a reward for his
service and sacrifice, he was asked to join the National Security Council as its deputy
director for political-military affairs in 1981.38 President Reagan has gained a large
amount of respect for North, especially with regards to covert operations. North is known
for being particularly patriotic, and stands with the president not only in the drug war, but
also in the war against global communism – a subject North feels passionately about.
Everett Ellis Briggs, American Ambassador to Panama
Everett Briggs was born in Havana, Cuba in 1934. He attended Dartmouth, and was
appointed to US Ambassador to Panama in 1982 by President Reagan. As ambassador,
Everett ensures good diplomatic relations between the US, Panama and the region as a
whole. He has a close relationship with the ambassadors to both Nicaragua and
Colombia, as well as the DEA station chief in Panama. The four of them have a long
history of making peaceful connections in Central and South America, and have close
relationships with the country’s respective governments.
Anthony C. E. Quainton, American Ambassador to Nicaragua
Anthony was born in Seattle in 1934. He attended Princeton for his B.A. and followed
that with a B.Litt. from Oxford University. He served in a number of roles for the State
Department before being appointed Ambassador to Nicaragua by Ronald Reagan in 1982.
Needless to say, he has a lot of connections within the State department. In his capacity,
Anthony was the head diplomat between the U.S. and Nicaragua, and works closely with
the ambassadors to Panama and Colombia, as well as the DEA station chief in Panama to
ensure peaceful environments in the region.
Lewis Arthur Tambs, American Ambassador to Colombia
Lewis Tambs born in San Diego, California in 1927. He was appointed ambassador to
Colombia in 1983 by Ronald Reagan, where he ensures that relations between the U.S.,
Colombia, and the further region are in order. Tambs works closely with the other
ambassadors in the committee as well as the DEA station chief to Panama to promote
peaceful operations in the area, and also carries with him a relatively large network
within the CIA.
Alan Fiers, Chief of the CIA’s Central American Task Force
A close ally to Oliver North, Alan Fiers was the leader of the CIA’s operations in Central
America, and contributed greatly to the investigation of substance inflow. Like North,
Alan Fiers is a classic patriotic American that serves at the pleasure of president Reagan,
perhaps most enthusiastically with regards to beating down on drug distributors as well as
anti-American sentiments. Fiers answers directly to CIA Director William Casey, and
gathers intelligence on the agency’s behalf.
38
Public Broadcasting System, Frontline. N.d. “Drug Wars – Interview – Oliver North”. Web.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/north.html
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Edwin Meese, 75th Attorney General of the United States and Chair of the National Drug
Policy Board
Edwin was born in 1931 in Oakland, California and is a graduate of Yale University and
UC Berkeley School of Law. Meese became Attorney General in 1985 and subsequently
chaired the National Drug Policy Board. His role on the board allows him to work
directly with the First Lady to develop her very own anti-drug campaign initiative, and
with this comes direct access to president Reagan. Meese is also a personal friend of both
DEA Deputy Administrator Jack Lawn and White House Chief of Staff James Baker.
Meese has a large network within the political and intelligence realm, and is known to
use his connections shamelessly in his missions.
Carlton Turner, Director of the Drug Abuse Policy Office
Carlton Turner was born in 1940 in Choctaw County, Alabama. He is a graduate of the
University of Southern Mississippi. In 1982, he was appointed by Reagan to Director of
Drug Abuse Policy Office. Along with this role, Turner is also the President's adviser for
drug abuse policy and works actively with the First Lady along with Edwin Meese to
develop her anti-drug campaign.
Bill Alden, San Francisco based Special Agent for DEA
Bill Alden started his career in the U.S. Customs Service in Cleveland, Ohio, but soon
got transferred to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and asked to work as an undercover
agent in the fight against marijuana. Based in San Francisco, Alden’s duties extends
practically to the entire state of California and as there has been increasing accounts of
drug abuse particularly in southern-central Los Angeles, Alden corresponds directly with
the leadership of the DEA and is of immense value to them.
James Bramble, DEA Station Chief to Panama
As the DEA Station Chief to Panama, James Bramble worked as the acting head of the
DEA’s operations in Panama, where a lot of the illegal substances are believed to be
smuggled through. Bramble works closely with the ambassador to Panama along with the
other two ambassadors in this committee, as well as Alan Fiers, to whom he generally
reports any intelligence of illegal activities. Bramble has countless connections on the
ground in Central America as he has been working there for years.
Anne L. Armstrong, Chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Anne Armstrong was born in New Orleans and attended Vassar College. From 19811990, Armstrong served as Chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory
Board. The Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board is focused on providing the President
with an independent view and recommendations on intelligence collected by the various
U.S. intelligence agencies. The Board prides itself on providing expert, objective advice,
and does not view herself as particularly affiliated with politics. She takes her missions
incredibly seriously and is very well respected in the intelligence community.
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William J. Casey, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
William Casey was born in Queens, New York in 1934. He graduated from Fordham
University and went to St. Johns Law School. Casey served in a number of government
professions and worked for the predecessor of the CIA, the OSS. Casey served as a
campaign manager for Reagan’s presidential run in 1980. Once elected, Reagan
nominated Casey as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. As director of
the CIA, Casey plays a vital role in Reagan’s foreign policy agenda, and has positioned
himself particularly strongly in Reagan’s anti-communism policies.
Frank V. Ortiz Jr., US Ambassador to Peru
Frank Ortiz is a well-known diplomat with previous ambassadorships in Barbados,
Grenada and Guatemala. He has worked in State Department since 1951 and is a very
well respected diplomat specializing in Latin American affairs. His top allies are in the
diplomatic community in this committee.
John Gavin, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
Gavin is a well-known Republican actor who was appointed to be Ambassador to Mexico
in 1981. He is praised for his activism in the country, where he has spoken out against
illegal drug trade and anti-American sentiment in the country. His closest allies are the
ambassador community, but also is an old friend of Ronald Reagan due to their shared
background in acting.
Donald “Don” Regan, the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
Former Wall Street executive and the front of the “Reaganomics” era, Don Regan is a
well-respected Republican in the Reagan administration. For the purpose of this
committee, Regan will be in charge of finances of initiatives and an important liaison to
the president.
The Committee’s Current Situation
The year is 1982, and Ronald Reagan is in his second year as the president of the United States.
A few months ago, the Drug Enforcement Administration joined forces with the FBI, which
effectively means that the committee now reports to FBI Director William H. Webster, and that
the DEA and the FBI have joint jurisdiction over drug investigations.
The committee has received intelligence showing that the use of marijuana has increased
significantly in the past five years across the country, and President Reagan has requested the
committee to come up with policy ideas that specifically target this trend. The president wants
the policy to combat supply of illegal substances while still keeping our good relationships with
our neighbors in Latin America, and he is planning on using the policy as a pointer that he is
fulfilling his promise to reduce crime rates across the country. He trusts the committee as a
whole to come up with a strategy to tackle the drug crisis he foresees is underway, although he
will need the measures to fit in with his overall ideology.
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Questions to consider:
Keep these questions in mind as you prepare for the conference and write your position paper.
1. How effective were Reagan’s drug policies? Should this committee do anything
differently? (Of course, in committee session you will assume that you don’t know these
modern implications for a fact – but you can prelude to them and use them in arguments
as you see fit.)
2. What aspect of drug enforcement policy is important to your character? Would you
want to see an emphasis on punishment and sentencing for drug trafficking, or is good
diplomatic relations and open borders important to you? Perhaps both? What about
demand side policies, including drug prevention education and treatment?
3. How do your responsibilities in this committee line up with other aspects of your
character’s job? What would come first in a matter between drug enforcement and the
spread of American democratic values abroad?
4. What does your character want to personally obtain in this committee? What
priorities need to be in place?
Suggested Readings
“Thirty Years of America’s Drug War”, by Frontline for Public Broadcasting System. This
provides a concise timeline of the drug war.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/
“The Drug Enforcement Administration: 1980-1985”, by the Drug Enforcement
Administration. This in-depth article provides detailed information on how the DEA operated at
the time of our committee. This is a good idea to read through if you would like ideas for
different operations and specific actions, and also portrays the political environment in the DEA
quite well.
http://www.dea.gov/about/history/1980-1985.pdf
“Reagan”, by American Experience for Public Broadcasting System. This link provides you
with a long list of resources with information about Ronald Reagan’s presidency, including some
specific information on his drug enforcement policies.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/reagan-intro/
“Cocaine, Conspiracy Theories, and the C.I.A. in Central America” by Craig Delaval for
Frontline at PBS: this article provides an in-depth analysis of the Hitz report, dealing with the
CIA Contra controversy in Nicaragua.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/cia.html
“Reagan’s War on Drugs Reduced Crime in an Unexpected Way” by Adam Martin for The
Wire: argues that Reagan’s focus on reducing supply of marijuana caused the shift to massive
smuggling of crack cocaine, thereby making drugs cheaper, and when drugs become cheaper,
crime rates go down because abusers won’t have to turn to criminal methods of obtaining drugs.
http://www.thewire.com/national/2011/12/reagans-war-drugs-reduced-crime-unexpectedway/46466/
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“Reagan: Drugs are the ‘No. 1’ Problem” by NEWSWEEK 1986 Editor-in-Chief Richard M.
Smith, Washington bureau chief Morton M. Kondracke, White House correspondent Margaret
Garrard Warner and correspondent Elaine Shannon: this is an exclusive interview with president
Reagan from 1986, where he discusses his anti-drug campaign.
http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxyremote.galib.uga.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=5774&sr=HEADLINE(Reagan%3A+d
rugs+are+the+'no.+1'+problem)%2BAND%2BDATE%2BIS%2B1986
“The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration” by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic
provides an in-depth discussion on one of the debated repercussion of the Reagan drug war: mass
incarceration of African Americans.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/10/the-black-family-in-the-age-of-massincarceration/403246/
“Campaign Against Drug Abuse”: A primary resource from PBS. This is an address president
Reagan made from the West Hall of the Whitehouse together with his wife, Nancy, regarding
their joint campaign on drugs.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/reagan-drugcampaign/
Notes on how the committee will be run
This committee is a crisis committee as opposed to a general assembly committee. That means
that the competition will not follow standard parliamentary procedure. Now, don’t freak out – a
crisis committee is also more fast-paced, fun, and a very real insight into how college Model UN
competitions, as well as the real world, work. There are some rules in our UGAMUNC rulebook
that still apply to our committee, so I do encourage you to still be aware of those. However, here
are a few basic rules of thumb for crisis committees. I recommend that you print these out and
bring them with you to committee.
1. There will be no speaker’s list. Think about the sessions as a constant moderated caucus
(although you are allowed to motion for unmoderated caucuses as well.)
2. You will not be writing resolutions. In general assembly committees, you would spend a
lot of time formulating long solutions to the issue at hand called resolutions, to be passed
by the general assembly. In a crisis committee, these don’t exist. Instead, you’ll be
writing directives; these are short and precise descriptions of actions you wish the
committee to take. They are usually brought to a vote immediately, without a long voting
process. This is due to the fact that in a committee like this, new things are constantly
happening, and you will want to pass directives as soon as a new crisis is introduced.
3. Personal directives. In addition to committee directives that are described above, you will
want to try to move through crises unilaterally on the side. As you walk into the first
committee session, you will be handed a portfolio with information about your personal
connections, available monetary funds and military troops if applicable, etc. Everyone
will have something up his or her sleeve, and everyone should reflect on what is best for
the agency you are representing. To pass personal directives, simply write a note labeled
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4. 5. 6. 7. clearly with “personal directive” and send the note to crisis staff or the co-chair of your
committee. You will receive a personal response from crisis on whether or not the action
is feasible. Within reasonable limits, I encourage you to establish your personal
objectives for the committee and use the tool of personal directives. If you do this
successfully, you are able to control the direction of the crises to some extent. However, I
do remind you that everything that happens is at the chairs’ and crisis staff’s discretion.
Things will not always go your way, and that is part of crisis – no matter how well
articulated your notes are.
Communiqués. As mentioned above, you will be informed of certain personal
connections you have in your portfolio. In order to contact these people or organizations,
write a note and label it “communiqué” and hand it to a staff member or your co-chair.
You will receive a personal response from staff.
Be prepared to improvise and think on your feet. Unlike a general assembly committee,
you will not be completely aware of what is going to happen at any point in time. We are
providing you with a starting scenario, or a description of where the committee is
currently. This can change or escalate very quickly. Do your research as much as you
can, but be aware that all topics that apply to Reagan’s War on Drugs are fair game and
can be introduced by the chair or crisis staff in various ways throughout the session.
Committee technology. We will not allow for you to bring your own private laptops or
use personal electronic devices during committee sessions. Bring paper and pens to write
notes.
Get excited. We guarantee you a weekend full of surprises and fun, as well as a great
debate.
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