History

Human beings have been using and abusing substances for thousands of years. While I comprehend how to cover this (excepting professor Antonio Escohotado's  15 volume  General History of Drugs (Historia general de las drogas)I'll take the more modest approach of looking over the past few decades of the subject in the United States with credit to PBS and Frontline for their 'Drug Wars' series:

• 1960 - explosive growth of drug use among young, middle class Americans
• 1969 - efforts to stem marijuana crossing Mexican border in to United States
• 1970 - National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws founded
• 1971 - Congress passes laws establishing 'Schedules' for controlled substances
• 1971 - President Nixon declares "war on drugs"
• 1973 - Nixon founds the DEA (he resigns the following year)
• 1975 - President Ford's commission lists marijuana as "low priority drug"
• 1975 - Medellin massacre in Columbia signals dominion of cocaine cartels
• 1976 - Jimmy Carter campaigns for president, suggests decriminalization of marijuana
• 1978 - Asset forfeiture programs begin; allowing government to seize property of drug dealers
• 1982 - South Florida Drug Task Force organized
• 1982 - Largest cocaine bust in U.S. history; Medellin control  recognized
• 1984 - Nancy Reagan introduces 'Just Say No' campaign
• 1984 - 'Bust of the Century' in Mexico, $2.5 billion worth of marijuana taken
• 1985 - DEA Agent Camerena killed in Mexico, Colombian judge killed & supreme court attacked
• 1985 - Crack makes headlines
• 1986 - Reagan signs new drug law, $1.7 billion for programs; mandatory minimum prison terms
• 1986 - United States indicts Medellin leaders
• 1987 - Amid threats from cartels, Columbia annuls extradition treaty with U.S.
• 1993 - NAFTA opens borders for trade, reduced ability to monitor drugs
• 1998 - U.S. money laundering probe; indicts 7 banks in Mexico & Venezuela, 167 persons
• 2000 - President Clinton approves $1.3 billion to help Columbia battle drug business
• 2001 - Terrorism and attacks on United States refocus national attention
• 2006 - Mexican drug cartels seen as threat eclipsing Colombians
• 2009 - U.S. Drug 'Czar' calls for end of 'war on drugs', favors emphasis on treatment
• 2011 - CDC:  enough painkillers prescribed to serve every American adult 24/7 for a month
• 2012 - Manchin amendment making hydrocodone a Schedule II drug, fails in congress