The Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) was a

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

agency that Richard Nixon established in January 1972, headed by

Myles Ambrose Myles Joseph Ambrose (July 21, 1926 – June 3, 2014) was an American lawyer and United States federal government official. He served as the Commissioner of Customs under President Richard M. Nixon and paved the way for the establishment of the D ...

. The office was chiefly a tool for the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

to assist local government in enforcing drug laws and oblige drug addicts to undergo

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

. In July 1973, ODALE was consolidated, along with several other agencies, into the newly established Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sources

*The Quest for Drug Control by

David F. Musto David Franklin Musto (January 8, 1936 – October 8, 2010) was an American expert on U.S. drug policy and the War on Drugs who served as a government adviser on the subject during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter. He wrote extensively on the hi ...

, Pamela Korsmeyer
PBS Frontline:Thirty Years of America's Drug War
Defunct federal law enforcement agencies of the United States History of drug control Government agencies established in 1972 Drugs in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration History of drug control in the United States 1972 establishments in the United States Government agencies disestablished in 1973 1973 disestablishments in the United States {{US-gov-stub