Home Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Drug Enforcement Administration
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Manuel Noriega
Read Next
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
British grenadiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill, painting by Edward Percy Moran, 1909.
Timeline of the American Revolution
Discover
solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space
How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?
Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet
10 Failed Doomsday Predictions
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline
Solar eclipse of the sun.
The Sun Was Eaten: 6 Ways Cultures Have Explained Eclipses
Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.
10 Important Dates in Pluto History
History & Society

Drug Enforcement Administration

United States government agency
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://64.176.36.150/topic/Drug-Enforcement-Administration
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: DEA
Last Updated: • Article History
Category: History & Society
Date:
1973 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
controlled substance
drug trade
See all related content →

Recent News

Apr. 4, 2024, 11:43 PM ET (Federal News Network)
Justice Department issues data challenge to help address nation's drug crisis
Mar. 15, 2024, 6:23 PM ET (AP)
Vice President Harris, rapper Fat Joe team up for discussion on easing marijuana penalties

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice charged with enforcing laws that cover trafficking in controlled substances. Established in 1973, the DEA works with other agencies to control the cultivation, production, smuggling, and distribution of illicit drugs. Most of its efforts are directed against international narcotics smuggling organizations and racketeering, but it also works to shut down interstate operations. The DEA implements the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which is Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The CSA established a classification system with five schedules to identify drugs based on their potential for abuse, their applications in medicine, and their likelihood of producing dependence. The DEA is empowered to prosecute violators of laws governing these controlled substances.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.