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M7D2: War on Drugs Effects

Policy analysts play an important role in evaluating the effectiveness of policies. To do this, the goals of policy must be clearly articulated. From that point, data can be collected that helps determine if the policies did what they set out to achieve. While it is most important to set a policy’s goals at the outset, we must also look backwards after a policy is implemented to see if it has achieved its goals. This discussion has us considering the process of evaluating the effectiveness of policy using our War on Drugs case study. From a purely objective point of view, the intended purpose of the War on Drugs is to decrease the use, sale, and associated negative effects of illegal drugs. When we link this to what kind of data we would need to collect to determine if that was achieved, we find that there are a huge number of markers by which we can judge it.

There is a long and ongoing debate on if the War on Drugs has actually achieved anything, regardless of which markers it is judged by. In addition, some people suggest that there may have been another unspoken purpose for the War on Drugs, which is social control of communities of color. When using this potential “goal” as a starting point, we can also find a large set of data to determine if the policies are “working”. And still others contend that, regardless of the actual purpose at the outset, the War on Drugs has had a host of potentially unexpected, collateral effects that have significantly affected particular populations and contributed to major disparities between White communities and communities of color. Therefore, it is also critical to examine corollary effects of policies. Because we cannot collect every piece of data, and nor can we know every potential unexpected effect of policies, policy analysts must take the time to review policies once they have been implemented and reflect on the larger changes they may have made.

In this discussion, consider the goals of the War on Drugs, if those goals have been met, and what strategies can be used to determine the effectiveness. Use the following questions to help guide your initial response:

What were/are the goals of the War on Drugs?

Which goals were clearly articulated versus those that were not?

What would be an effective way to determine if the goals were achieved?

Based on the goals you articulated, have those goals been achieved?

What effect, if any, has the War on Drugs had on disparities?

Is the War on Drugs “working”?

What might an effective drug policy look like?

What might be the markers of effective drug policy and how could those markers be evaluated?

Your response does not need to specifically address each individual bullet separately. However, your response should touch on the theme of each bullet in your completed post.

Then, respond to your classmates. How did your thoughts differ from your classmate’s? What important points did your classmate raise that you could expand on? What examples could you share that would highlight the difference in thinking between you and your classmate? How does your lens (your personal experiences, background, learning, etc.) affect your thinking on this subject, and how does your lens differ from that of your classmate?

Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your discussion posts. It is recommended that you write your post in a document first. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to make your initial post, click on "Reply." Then copy/paste the text into the message field, and click "Post Reply." 

To respond to a peer, click “Reply” beneath her or his post and continue as with an initial post.

Evaluation

This discussion will be graded using a rubric. Please review this rubric prior to beginning the discussion. You can view the rubric on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here module. All discussions combined are worth 25% of your final course grade.