Drug czar is an
informal
Formal, formality, informal or informality imply the complying with, or not complying with, some set of requirements (forms, in Ancient Greek). They may refer to:
Dress code and events
* Formal wear, attire for formal events
* Semi-formal attire ...
name for the person who directs drug-control policies in various areas. The term follows the informal use of the term
''czar'' in U.S. politics. The 'drug czar' title first appeared in a 1982 news story by
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
that reported that, "
nited StatesSenators ... voted 62–34 to establish a 'drug czar' who would have overall responsibility for U.S. drug policy." Since then, several ''ad hoc'' executive positions established in both the United States and United Kingdom have subsequently been referred to in this manner.
Germany
The Drug Commissioner of the German Federal Government has been called the nation's drug czar by the state media company
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
.
United States
![Drug Czar Visits Covenant House (3858774035)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Drug_Czar_Visits_Covenant_House_%283858774035%29.jpg)
The first US Drug czar was
Harry J. Anslinger
Harry Jacob Anslinger (May 20, 1892 – November 14, 1975) was a United States government official who served as the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics during the presidencies of Herbert Hoover, ...
who served as the first Commissioner of the Treasury Board-created ''
Federal Bureau of Narcotics
The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, established in the Department of the Treasury by an act of June 14, 1930, consolidating the functions of the Federal Narcotics Control Board a ...
'' from 1930 to 1962, under the administrations of five presidents:
Hoover,
Roosevelt
Roosevelt may refer to:
*Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president
* Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president
Businesses and organisations
* Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation)
* Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank
* Rooseve ...
,
Truman,
Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
and
Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States
* John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana
* Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
. Legislative efforts for marijuana prohibition under Anslinger included a push for all states to adopt similar drug laws, the
Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws developed the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act in 1934 due to the lack of restrictions in the Harrison Act of 1914. The Harrison Act was a revenue-producing act and, while it provided p ...
and the
Marijuana Tax Act of 1937
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, , was a United States Act that placed a tax on the sale of cannabis. The H.R. 6385 act was drafted by Harry Anslinger and introduced by Rep. Robert L. Doughton of North Carolina, on April 14, 1937. The Seventy-fift ...
, which in effect criminalized the drug and set the stage for marijuana prohibition.
Nixon and Ford administrations
*
Jerome Jaffe
Jerome H. Jaffe (born July 6, 1933) is a clinical professor and was the drug Czar under the administration of President of the United States Richard Nixon.
Career
Many American soldiers used heroin during the Vietnam War. According to Representa ...
, head of the Special Office for Drug Abuse Prevention
*
Myles Ambrose, head of the
Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement The Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) was a Justice Department agency that Richard Nixon established in January 1972, headed by Myles Ambrose. The office was chiefly a tool for the federal government to assist local government in enfor ...
(ODALE)
*
Robert DuPont
Robert L. DuPont (born March 25, 1936 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American psychiatrist, known for his advocacy in the field of substance abuse. He is president of the Institute for Behavior and Health, whose mission is "to reduce the use of illegal d ...
, Director of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal government research institute whose mission is to "advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual a ...
and head of the Narcotics Treatment Administration
Carter administration
*
Peter Bourne
Peter G. Bourne (born 6 August 1939 in Oxford, England) is a physician, anthropologist, author and international civil servant with experience in several senior government positions. He is currently a visiting senior research fellow at Green Temp ...
, Director of the National Drug Control Policy followed by Lee I Dogoloff
*
Mathea Falco, Assistant
Secretary of State for International Narcotics
Reagan administration
* Carlton Turner PhD, ScD, Director of the Drug Abuse Policy Office. Turner, while working as drug czar, was in communication with Elisaldo Carlini, a scientist in Brazil whose lab was studying the beneficial effects of CBD. Turner helped establish the Marijuana Research Project at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
.
* D. Ian McDonald, MD. Deputy Assistant to the President, Drug Abuse Policy Office
*Vice President George H.W. Bush, who created and oversaw the Vice President's National Narcotics Border Interdiction System
1988–present
* The Director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
The Director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the Drug Czar, heads the office. "Drug Czar" was a term first used ...
Trump administration
* (''Opioid czar''): The Chair of the
Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission
The Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission was a commission that advised the Trump administration on combating the ongoing opioid epidemic claiming more than 30,000 American fatalities annually in the United States. The commission was chaired by New Jers ...
.
Note: In March 2017 it was announced that governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in Ne ...
was to head the commission.
State and local authorities
In California, the head of the state
Bureau of Medical Cannabis has been called "marijuana czar".
Following statewide medical and recreational legalization, the city of
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
appointed a director of cannabis policy and enforcement, called a pot czar.
In Washington State, the consultant to the
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, formerly the Washington State Liquor Control Board, is an administrative agency of the State of Washington. The Liquor and Cannabis Board is part of the executive branch and reports to the Governor. ...
determining statewide procedures and regulations following legalization was "quickly dubbed 'pot czar'". A similar cannabis regulation staff position in
Oregon Liquor Control Commission
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), formerly known as Oregon Liquor Control Commission is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OLCC was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1933, days after the rep ...
was also called "marijuana czar".
United Kingdom
In the
UK,
Keith Hellawell
Keith Hellawell QPM (born 18 May 1942) is a British retired police officer, former UK Government drugs-czar, ex-chairman of Sports Direct plc. and current chairman of the Huddersfield Giants Rugby League club
After starting his career as a co ...
, former Drugs Advisor to the Labour government of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, has been referred to as a drug czar.
See also
*
List of U.S. executive branch 'czars'
In the United States, Czar (political term), the informal political term "czar" or "tsar" is employed in media and popular usage to refer to high-level officials who oversee a particular policy. There have never been any U.S. government offices wi ...
References
External links
Senators urge Obama to deliver consistent message on marijuana''Fresno Bee'', July 29, 2014
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