War on Chems

The War on Chems was a nationwide campaign by the New California Republic government to prevent the creation, distribution, and use of Chems within the New California Republic through increased prohibitionist laws and armed intervention.
==Background==
Towards the middle of the Peterson Administration and the rise of the Brotherhood War, Peterson enacted various laws that he and the media collectively dubbed "The War on Chems". These laws were generally separated into three groups: The prevention of chems entering the NCR from outlying areas and border territories, increased investigation and elimination of chem production locations within the NCR itself, and deterrent of usage by the public, collectively dubbed "The Three-Pronged attack". 
===First Prong===
Border inspection checkpoints were along highly travelled roads into the contiguous NCR from places like The Shi Empire, New Reno, and Vault City. Anyone caught attempting to bring chems into NCR would have their present assets fortified to the authorities for further inspection, investigation, and to be maintained as evidence.
===Second Prong===
Funding was increased for the creation, restructuring, and/or rebranding to the new standard of the "Taskforce for the Intervention of Chem Creation And Trafficking" (Commonly called Tic-Cat or Tickers), equipping them with the resources, weapons, protective equipment, and manpower to conduct raids on locations suspected to be producing or storing chems, and the apprehension of those of suspected involvement.
===Third Prong===
The Third prong took two different forms. Public information and increased punitive actions.
Public service announcements were created via such campaigns as Mutants Against Chem Consumption (M.A.C.C.) with their famous "Drugs hurt us all" tagline which focused on the community damaging aspect of chem abuse presented by the ghoul Nin and her super mutant cohost Falsidan, and the "See a Pilot? Tell a real pilot."A play on the common slang term for Jet addicts campaign in cooperation with the New California Republic Air Force.
Those who did not abide by these new laws received harsher sentences, including mandatory minimums. This increase applied to those consuming, producing, possessing, or trafficking chems. Those convicted were sent to fill out their sentence and special institutions, where they would be leased out and put to work in penal labour facilities. These inmates produced various supplies and equipment to help fuel the war effort against the Brotherhood, such as manufacturing uniforms or working brahmin ranches and other farms.
==Reception==
According to official figures released by the Peterson Administration, chem use within the general population dropped substantially in the years following the inception of the War on Chems. Door-to-Door Census data of the states of Los Angeles, Dayglow and Shady showed that approximately 83% of those respondents believed the War on Chems had increased public safety in their neighbourhood, with 57% of those being favourable to increased funding to the program.
==Controversy==
From the first announcement of the War on Chems, there had been vocal opposition, with particular emphasis on the program targeting those of "Tribal" origin and the collusion between the government and the contracted businesses.
===Anti-Tribalism===
Due to the broad definition of "Chem" under the War on Chems"Any product with medicinal or narco-recreational purpose not officially regulated or produced by a sanctioned pharmaceutical body." applies to many, if not all, tribal remedies and other consecrated ingestibles for religious/spiritual events and ceremonies. This criminalized those attempting to obtain or produce said remedies, which became more common following the price increases by PharmAll, the leading pharmaceutical in the NCR.
Additionally, Tribals newly absorbed into larger societies often faced denial of employment based solely on Tribal origin due to existing anti-tribal sentiment. Because of this, they were often preyed upon by criminal elements, seeing them as unacknowledged of various laws and without other options, using them as cheap labour for jobs such as drug transportation or production.
Due to a lack of one or more parent(s), children of those arrested were often enrolled in "State Schools". Ran by non-Tribals, these schools had a stated goal of putting the youths on the "right track in life". Once in these boarding schools, students were given a more "employable" name which was used in place of any name deemed too "Tribal". Additionally, use of non-English and other Tribal practices were met with punishment, including corporal punishment. Any children not entered into the State Schools were left homeless and were commonly taken in and raised by criminal elements, which led to a further cycle of arrests.
===Collusion===
The Peterson Administration granted the exclusive contract to operate the special institutions to housed those arrested to California Corrective Solutions, which leased inmates solely to farms owned by Agri-Grow Services. CCS, Agri-Grow, and PharmAll all having reported direct ties to each other, the Peterson Administration and the president himself through familial relations and supposed financial backing.Wendy-Pete and Big Bad Corps, a political zine and expose in the style of a nursery rhyme distributed throughout Angel's Boneyard, published anonymously All said parties deny the allegations. 
===Conditions===
To lower labour costs, CCS Corrections Officers would appoint "Labour Trustees", prisoners typically of non-Tribal origin, to administer over labour groups. Labour Trustees commonly committed abuse on their subordinate inmates, with reports of said abuse ignored by their Officer handlers, so long as production quotas were maintained and deaths were avoided. Living conditions in the institutions were equally poor, with overcrowdingTestimonies of up to 3 inmates being assigned to cells fit for 1, malnutritionMost meals containing only 1 starch (Potatoes, Rice, or Bread) and 1 vegetable (Okra, Beans, ), and 1 potion of Water of varying purity. Labour Trustees were often given more nutritious meals containing meat., and violence.
Testimonies of former inmates of Tribal origin were collected and published in the book "Zazlan, and others like them. Accounts from within the CSS." Which primarily focused on the diary of Zazlan, a former healer of the Treedrop tribe. Zazlan was coerced by a New Reno gang to deliver a package of Rebound to Scrapheap, and was subsequently incarcerated in a CSS facility, where they eventually died of malnutrition and exhaustion. Following his release, one of Zazlan's former cellmates, Chapman Long, brought their diary to a Follower of the Apocalypse, while attending a FOTA soup kitchen in Sac-Town. Chapman and a group of Followers published the book a year later.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Competitions
Category:Wars