Food Assistance Programs and "The War on Drugs"

• In Event: Reexamining the Crime and Drug Nexus

Abstract

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) into law. The act marked a Clinton promise to "end welfare as we know it". It also indicated a more punitive turn in welfare policy-- one which borrowed language and imagery from the "War on Drugs" and the "War on Crime".
One of the most punitive measures in PRWORA was the lifetime elimination of food stamp benefits for individuals with felony drug convictions. During this same time, however, the Supplemental, Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was promoting therapy and non-punitive responses to drug users. I explore why during the late 1980's and early 1990's two food assistance programs adopted divergent policies in relation to drug users.

Author

• Anne McGlynn-Wright, University of Washington