Download or read book Nixon, Congress, and the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 written by John Adriance and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2021-09-06 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1972 the Congress of the United States passed the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act (D.A.O.T.A.). In many respects this action was in response to a growing number Of Vietnam Veterans who were returning with addictions acquired during their service. Likewise, the 1960's had seen a burgeoning growth of drug addiction across the country from the major cities to the suburbs. The passage of this bill marked the first time in the 20th century that the federal government had produced major legislation that would deal with drug abuse as a disease instead of a crime. Likewise, the enactment and signing of the D.A.O.T.A. meant that Richard Nixon would be the first American president to have an executive office which would be charged with the mission of supervising our national effort against drug abuse. On the surface this legislation represented a momentous change. However, what happened after the passage of this bill and its signing? Were they able to put an end to the dilemma of drug abuse? Nixon, Congress and the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act Of 1972 attempts to answer these questions and provide the reader with a comprehensive view of how the bill became a law and how it was implemented during the first six years of its existence. It does so by analyzing each segment of the legislative history of the D.A.O.T.A. following the special message sent by President Nixon and the establishment of the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention by executive order to its implementation under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Instrumental in the implementation of the D.A.O.T.A. were Dr. Jerome Jaffe, who served as the first Director of S.A.O.D.A.P. and his successor, Dr.Robert DuPont. It was these two dedicated and diligent men who fostered the development of S.A.O.D.A.P. and then the eventual creation of the National Institute for Drug Abuse(N.I.D.A.) For better or worse Nixon tackled the problem of drug abuse to the best of his ability. However, the yardage that was gained under Nixon was lost with the advent of Watergate, his resignation, and his successor's fumbles in the face of Nixon's legacy.