Drug War Must Be Fought in U.S., Nancy Reagan Says in Irvine Talk

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan said Wednesday that the war on drugs should be fought at home, not abroad.

“It’s the United States alone that bears the responsibility of its own drug problem,” Mrs. Reagan said during a speech at the Irvine Hilton. “While most drugs are imported, most drug users are home-grown.”

Speaking to a crowd of about 450 people, Mrs. Reagan said that while it is easy to criticize the drug cartels, it is more difficult to “talk about the pair of Wall Street investors who buy cocaine on the streets.”

“It’s the drug user that makes cartels possible,” she said.

Mrs. Reagan’s comments followed a dinner to raise funds for the Santa Ana-based Assessment and Treatment Services Center, a nonprofit counseling program for high-risk juveniles.

More than $100,000 was raised for the center’s juvenile counseling program, spokeswoman Tammy Guiso said.

Also speaking at the event were Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates and Newport Beach Police Detective Lavonne Campbell, who outlined a variety of county and city anti-drug efforts.

Since 1989, Mrs. Reagan has paid a number of visits to Orange County, appearing at charity events and conferences to espouse her well-known anti-drug slogan “Just Say No” and to reminisce about her White House years.

Last month she delivered a speech at the Four Seasons Hotel on her experience with cancer. After the speech, she traveled to Hoag Hospital to meet with more than two dozen cancer patients.