Anti-drug legislation has had a long and fascinating history in the United States. The initial drug that showed prevalent use in the nation was opium, which came primarily from China. Opium was used as a drug recommended by doctors, but the growing cases of addiction led to this drug being legislated together. Most opium addicts were girls because doctors tend to recommend the drug for many women's particular problems. In 1875, a law was passed in California banning the smoking of opium. Although the law generally affected Chinese immigrants, it ranked first in anti-drug legislation in the United States. At the federal level, a ban on the importation of opium by Chinese citizens occurred in 1887, and in 1905, opium smoking was banned in the Philippines (Harrison). While these regulations were initial steps, they did not include any absolute provisions to reduce the supply and use of drugs in the country. The laws hindered the reduction of drug distribution in the country and did not address the problem of treating a real disease. The most important early legislation in this vein was the Harrison Act, passed in 1914. One of the most powerful pieces of legislation ever passed regarding drugs occurred in 1914 when Congress passed the Harrison Act (following its primary sponsor, Representative Francis Burton Harrison of New York) (Harrison). The law required any doctor who approved substances such as opium and morphine to track down government officials and if any individual without such a license approved these substances he could be punished along with a fine and jail time. As time has passed, it has become increasingly clear that the mistreatment and damage inflicted by these... halves of paper... and enormous government spending, are highly questionable. Civilization is constantly changing and we must reconsider the objectives of the anti-drug provision and we will find that it is achieving the desired result. Some changes in laws and policies seem essential in order to effectively eradicate the negative effects of drugs on our culture. Reference: Harrison, History of Drug Legislation, retrieved March 21, 2012 from http://www.cedro-uva. org/lib/harrison.cannabis.05.htmlAuthorizing Legislation Office of National Drug Control Policy, retrieved March 20, 2012, from http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/about/authorizing_legislation.htmlAdam Liptak, US prison population dwarfs that of other nations, retrieved March 20, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?_r=1