THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, often working in cooperation with state and local authorities, has tried a variety of ways to deal with America's drug problem. The first major effort began in 1969, when President Richard Nixon named drugs as a major threat to the health and welfare of all Americans and called for government action. Every president since then has addressed the drug problem in different ways, but always through some combination of law enforcement, treatment, and drug prevention education.

In the 1980s President Ronald Reagan emphasized law enforcement over treatment. His administration was also concerned with preventing casual drug use by middle-class people. First Lady Nancy Reagan toured the country with her "Just Say No" campaign, which emphasized willpower and high morals. The goal of the campaign was to persuade people, especially young people, to stop using drugs or never to...