The U.S. War on Drugs Targets Minorities

Crack and cocaine epidemic began in the 1970s and is still present. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs and identified drugs as "public enemy number one in the United States".  Many laws and policies were passed to fight the drug abuse problem. However, some of the laws were created in a way that it would target minorities.

For example, a sentencing guide that called for a mandatory 5-year sentence for possession of crack cocaine, while 100 times the amount of powder cocaine is required for a 5-year sentence. Even though crack and cocaine are relatively the same substance but in different forms and crack is cheaper, powder cocaine is popular among middle class and wealthy white individuals; crack is popular with the poorer population, particularly black individuals. As a result, more black people are arrested, convicted, and sentenced for drug crimes than white people. Studies find that white people actually use drugs more than black people. However, there is a disproportionate arrest rate in which far more black people are arrested for a drug crime, even though their population is much smaller than the white.

The war on drugs is a huge failure because all it did was restrict supply (which did not curb addiction), incarcerate countless young nonviolent individuals, and cost a fortune. There are better, evidence-based approaches to combat the drug problem. Prevention intervention seeks to educate and remove stressors that might make a person more prone to drug use. Treatment is also another effective way to prevent further drug abuse by teaching individuals how to return to their normal lives drug-free and keep it that way.

Many politicians feel like they have to be "tough on crime" because the public demands it, which results on such aggressive enforcement that does not solve the problem. What we can do as citizens is to educate each other about the effective solutions and call our representatives to tell them that we want them to focus more on treatment and prevention programs rather than lock up anyone that has possession of a drug. It will only take a minute for you to contact your representatives and tell them your thoughts on this subject using these links: Senators and Other Officials. When politicians hear of our demands, they will be forced to look into alternate solutions if they want our vote. 

New York Times Article

Race and the Drug War