The Impact Of The War On Drugs On Black Communities

John Ehrlichman, one of President Richard Nixon’s top aides, made a shocking admission during a 1994 interview. When asked about Nixon's War on Drugs, Ehrlichman said, "We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news (Baum).”

Since its inception in the 1970s, the United States' War on Drugs has had devastating consequences, particularly for Black communities. The government's implementation of this war to combat drug use and distribution

Some people are allowed to start closer to the finish line, while others are forced to start further back. The race is unfair from the beginning. No matter how hard or fast the runners in the back work, it’s likely that they will always be behind those who started closer to the finish line. This is similar to how the War on Drugs has impacted Black communities. The policies and practices associated with the War on Drugs have placed Black communities at a disadvantage, creating a cycle of poverty, trauma, and social exclusion that passes from generation to

Doors are shut at every turn.

There are arguments that the War on Drugs has not disproportionately affected Black communities. This argument suggests that the impact of the War on Drugs on Black communities is not due to systemic racism, but rather a result of higher rates of drug use and criminal activity in those communities.

The argument fails to consider historical and social factors that have contributed to the high rates of drug use and drug-related crime in Black communities. Decades of systemic racism, poverty and the resulting impact on the Black communities, along with discriminatory policing practices, have created an environment in which drug use and drug-related crime are more prevalent.

In addition, Drug Policy Alliance research has shown that drug use rates are similar across racial and ethnic groups. In spite of the similarity, Blacks are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to harsher penalties for drug offenses than their white counterparts. This racial disparity in the enforcement of drug laws cannot be attributed solely to differences in drug use rates and criminal