Editing Ronald Reagan (section)

===War on drugs===
{{Main|War on drugs}}
[[File:President Ronald Reagan signing the Anti Drug Abuse Act of 1986.jpg|thumb|alt=Ronald Reagan with Nancy Reagan, Paula Hawkins, Charles Rangel and Benjamin Gilman for the signing ceremony for the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 in the East Room, 1986|Reagan signing the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986]]

In response to concerns about the increasing [[crack epidemic]], Reagan intensified the war on drugs in 1982.{{sfn|Alexander|2010|p=5}} While the American public did not see drugs as an important issue then, the FBI, [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] and the [[United States Department of Defense]] all increased their [[anti-drug]] funding immensely.{{sfn|Alexander|2010|p=49}} Reagan's administration publicized the campaign to gain support after crack became widespread in 1985.{{sfn|Alexander|2010|p=52}} Reagan signed the [[Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986]] and [[Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988|1988]] to specify penalties for drug offenses.{{sfn|Alexander|2010|p=53}} Both bills have been criticized in the years since for promoting [[Race and the war on drugs|racial disparities]].{{sfn|Sirin|2011|pp=91–96}} Nancy Reagan founded the "[[Just Say No]]" campaign to discourage others from engaging in [[recreational drug use]] and raise awareness about the dangers of drugs.{{sfn|Woodard|2012|pp=163–164}} A 1988 study showed 39 percent of high school seniors using illegal drugs compared to 53 percent in 1980,{{sfn|Cannon|2000|p=10}} but [[Scott Lilienfeld]] and Hal Arkowitz say that the success of these types of campaigns has not been affirmatively proven.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-just-say-no-doesnt-work/ |title=Why 'Just Say No' Doesn't Work |last1=Lilienfeld |first1=Scott |author-link=Scott Lilienfeld |last2=Arkowitz |first2=Hal |date=January 1, 2014 |website=[[Scientific American]] |access-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104150629/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-just-say-no-doesnt-work/ |archive-date=January 4, 2023}}</ref>