Explanation
Harry J. Anslinger was the first commissioner of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (1930–1962), widely known for shaping American drug policy through aggressive enforcement and moral panic. He championed the criminalization of cannabis and other substances, often using racist and sensationalist rhetoric to gain public support. Anslinger’s legacy includes the entrenchment of punitive, prohibitionist approaches to drugs that have contributed to mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Theoretical Reference
Moral Panic Theory; Critical Criminology; Drug Policy Studies