T he United States is engaged in a total war against illegal drugs. Do we have a chance of winning this war? Some observers, such as Ronald Siegel in his book, intoxication: Life in Pursuit of Artificial Paradise, say no. Siegel, who has served as a scientific consultant on drug addiction to two presidential commissions, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the World Health Organization, argues such a war cannot be w o n because of the nature of man. Throughout history mankind has pursued highs through all sorts of chemical means, exhibiting behavior that shows addiction is a fact of life. It is my contention that Siegel and others are right in predicting the war on drugs will be lost, but for the wrong reasons. The war will be lost, not because it cannot be won, but because we do not have the will in contemporary America to win it. The above quote, taken from a pamphlet issued by Massachusetts temperance societies in the early nineteenth century, illustrates that the present concern in American society with the usage of mind-altering substances is not unique. In fact, the appeal of those substances to the American public has existed from the time the first Europeans colonized the country. Some historians, for example, have asserted that the primary reason for the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock was their running out of beer. Early in the 1800s a religious revival swept through America, drastically altering the values of the society. Among these alterations was the perception that the usage of mind-altering substances was inimical to the health of the society. Before the twentieth century, the sole focus of attention was upon alcohol. Thus, before we consider what the experience of American society wilt be with drug use in the decade to come, we should briefly examine the history of alcohol in America. At the beginning of the 19th century, the per capita consumption of alcohol in the U.S. was more than 6.5 gallons. Thirty years later it had risen to an all-time high of 7.1 gallons. It was at this time, as a religious revival swept the nation, that the attitude of the American public toward the consumption of alcohol began to change. Previously, alcohol consumption had not been considered a social problem. But after 1830 a significant temperance movement began. Originally the movement was based on a persuasive strategy. The object was to persuade Americans of the evils of drinking alcohol. As seen in the Figure, this strategy was actually quite successful, proving that a war on mind-altering substances can be won. The reason for this success is instructive. What emerged from the religious revival was a society with a commonly shared value on the wickedness of alcohol. An evil had been identified and the society could marshal its forces to fight this evil. Both the supplier and the consumer of the evil were exposed to the condemnat ion of society. Given this shared perception, the consumption of alcohol declined precipitously. However, in spite of the success in reducing per capita alcohol consumption, the strategy had changed by the end of the nineteenth century. In the opinion of the temperance movement , public sentiment Are we on the road to the legalization of drugs?