Drugs And Racism

The War on Drugs in Correlation with Racism Drugs and racism. The two seem distant, yet through careful analysis a trend can start to emerge in regards to the dichotomy under scrutiny. Some say that President Nixon’s “War on Drugs” campaign in 1971 was a prime example of combining drugs and racism into one single problem creating the illusion that all minorities are habitual drug users. The fact of the matter is, the association of race with drug use was used way before the 1970’s. Why are some drugs legal and other drugs illegal today? It 's not based on any scientific assessment of the risks of these drugs, but it has everything to do with who is associated with these drugs thus producing the emergence of anti-drug laws.

Opium and the Chinese

The harsher penalties for crack cocaine offenses were supported by most of the Congressional Black Caucus, including New York Representatives Major Owens of Brooklyn and Charles Rangel of Harlem, who at the time headed the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control (Brooks, 2003). Crack was destroying black communities, and many black political leaders wanted dealers to face longer sentences. Some suggest that the crack–powder distinction was enacted partly because of conscious or unconscious racism. But it is noteworthy that none of the black members of Congress made that claim at the time the bill was initially discussed. The absence of any complaint by black members of Congress that the crack–powder differential was racially unfair speaks volumes. After all, several of these representatives had long histories of distinguished opposition to any public policy that smacked of racial injustice (Manderson, 1999). However, in 2010, Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the sentencing disparity between offenses for crack and powder cocaine from 100:1 to 18:1. This—albeit a small one—was a major step in the right direction towards reversing the racist connotation associated with crack cocaine and instead focusing on the main issue that is all drugs are bad and are a problem regardless of the

They seem to have no fear. I have also noted that under the influence of this weed they have enormous strength and it will take several men to handle one man while, under ordinary circumstances, one man could handle him with ease.

Similar views are had by Harry Anslinger, the father of the war on weed. He fully embraced racism as a tool to demonize marijuana. As the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a predecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anslinger institutionalized his belief that pot 's "effect on the degenerate races" made its prohibition a top priority. Here are just a few of his most famous and most racist quotes; gathered from an article written in 2014 by Nick Wing from The Huffington Post:

There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any