Purpose Of The War On Drugs By Michelle Alexander

In this essay, I will discuss the purpose of the War on Drugs. Note, that my knowledge and credibility will come from The New Jim Crow, written by Michelle Alexander. First, I will define exactly the reason why we created the War on Drugs. Next, we will look at the effects that War on Drugs created. Thirdly, we’ll discuss some of the excuses that law enforcement officers did and still do, to “crack down” drugs. My philosophy on the War on Drugs is controversial, in the book we understand that consumption between blacks and whites. However, the sentencing that was used was not reasonable and, or proper. I believe we should be enforcing drugs equally, and the sentencing should be reasonable. First and foremost, the purpose about the War on

Many black men were being prosecuted and taken off the streets in violation of drug offenses. However, like we mentioned in our zoom meeting, the Whites were using “pure” cocaine in the 1980’s. Which was illegal but why didn’t they get prosecuted? As a result, it was because of their status, and their skin color. In contrast, the blacks weren’t capable of buying cocaine because of the price, instead, the black community came up with crack cocaine. According to Professor Amber Colbert, crack cocaine contains a slight amount of cocaine with various chemicals, including baking soda. Consequently, Michelle Alexander claimed a study that was published in 2000 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “NIDA reported that white students use cocaine at seven times the rate of black students, use crack cocaine at eight times the rate of black students, and use heroin at seven times the rate of black students” (Michelle Alexander;2011, Pg. 99). In spite of the study, the War on Drugs created mass incarceration. “When the War on Drugs gained full steam in the mid-1980s, prison admissions for African Americans skyrocketed, nearly quadrupling in three years, and then increasing steadily until reached in 2000 a level more than twenty-six times the level in 1983” (Alexander;2011, Pg.