While we wait for a direct answer, you might be interested in these two knockout posts by /u/The_Alaskan:
Marijuana was prohibited in 1937, yet Nixon is said to have started "the War on Drugs". What did Nixon do that wasn't already being done since 1937? - which argues for viewing the 1970s/80s "war on drugs" as a strategy for dealing with pernicious and persistent fears arising from the 1960s (over exaggerated reports of drug use in Vietnam, white fear of the civil rights movement, etc)
Before the "war on drugs," how did police spend their time? - One of the greats of AskHistorians, which goes directly to the police logs of Juneau, Alaska in the 1940s and 50s for a straight-from-the-sources approach to the question
Hello everyone,
So far, there have been a large number of incorrect, speculative, or otherwise disallowed comments, including many asking about the deleted comments, which merely compounds the issue. As such, they were removed by the mod-team. Please, before you attempt to answer the question, keep in mind our rules concerning in-depth and comprehensive responses, and "Just Say No!" to breaking the rules of /r/AskHistorians. Answers that do not meet the standards we ask for will be removed, and posters who break the rules of the subreddit admonished as applicable.
Please keep in mind that while this thread is trending high in the subreddit, those upvotes represent interest in the question itself, and it can often take time for a good answer to be written. We know that it can be frustrating to come in here from your front page and see only [removed] and this post, but we ask for your patience and understanding. If you are looking for some interesting content in the mean time, we hope you will check out our Twitter, the Sunday Digest, or the Monthly "Best Of" feature. It is very rare that a decent answer doesn't result in due time, so please do come check into the thread in a few hours. A Private Message to the Remind Me bot is a good way to remember.
Additionally, it is unfair to the OP to further derail this thread with off topic conversation, so if anyone has further questions or concerns, I would ask that they be directed to modmail, or a META thread. Thank you!