The War on Minorities

American flag on a cannabis leaf
Image by Gordon Johnson

Today I listened to the audio story, "Decriminalizing The War On Drugs," on Latino USA, hosted by Maria Hinojosa, which aired on January 29, 2021. The guest speaker of the segment is Maritza Perez, Director of The Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, D.C. The segment talks about systemic racism in America acting as a catalyst in creating anti-drug policies that specifically target people of color. Let's not forget the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, where a vast disparity existed between federal penalties for crack cocaine and powder cocaine (United States, Congress). It was a racially driven law because crack cocaine was mainly found and used in urbanized areas where people of color lived. I did learn several things from this segment. I learned from Perez that in November 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, which decriminalizes the personal possession of illegal drugs. In the segment, Perez mentions from minute 0:14:49 to minute 0:15:00, "the first time we see a state emphasizing a public health approach to drug use rather than a punitive approach in the criminal legal system" (Latino USA). I also learned from Perez that more organizations favor decriminalizing drugs such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the Red Cross, and many more (Latino USA). I chose to listen to this segment because it relates to the theme I had selected in my Humanities class, which is the role of political power between individuals or groups and authority. Those suffering from drug addiction often feel powerless with their disease, and the lack of resources available to assist them in recovery further fuels their downward spiral. The government should step up and allocate more help and assistance for people suffering from drug addiction rather than perpetuating mass criminalization and incarceration. 

Drug Policy Alliance's video explaining All Drug Decriminalization

I liked this segment because it discussed the history of discriminatory anti-drug laws in the United States. It reminded me that this national problem has been occurring for a long time. I like that the segment gave us an excerpt from Nixon's prior aide, who exposed Nixon's hidden agenda when he declared "The War on Drugs" simply to take down the anti-war protestors and black people (Latino USA). Perez mentions in the segment, at minute 10:24, that "every administration that followed [the Nixon Administration] chose to do the same thing where they overly invested in the enforcement piece, but neglected, and continue to neglect the public health aspect of things" (Latino USA). I liked that the guest speaker is a strong advocate for non-criminalizing ways to address the issue with drugs. I do agree that this war on drugs is a crisis. Something has to be done, and I firmly agree with the speaker that punishment and criminalization of drug addicts is not the answer to this problem. I truly enjoyed listening to this segment. The topic is something that is of great interest to me, controversial as it is. One more thing they could have discussed in this segment is statistics on drug offenses and penalties categorized by race. I think it's important to discuss these statistics given the racial history of the war on drugs and its deliberate target on people of color. 

I found a news article online that covers the topic of this segment from Latino USA. The report is from NPR's website, called "Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment is Now Facing the Hard Test," published on June 18th, 2021. The article states that Oregon has decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine, LSD, heroin, and meth (Westervelt). The penalty is something close to a $100 fine. This movement creates tax revenue from marijuana sales and savings from reduced arrests and incarceration and will repurpose this funding towards rehabilitation programs and treatment services. The article poses concerns about the actual implementation of this new reform (Westervelt). The problem is whether the state will have the necessary funding and resources to facilitate the sudden influx of people seeking treatment. The article also talks about the decrease in treatment beds and reduction in capacity, which were necessary measures during this global pandemic (Westervelt). 

America's solution to the drug crisis stems from systemic racism. The enforcement and criminalization of drugs have historically been discriminatory towards minorities and people of color. People of color are disproportionately affected by America's war on drugs. Rather than criminalizing people for drug offenses, our efforts should be focused on other ways to address these systemic issues. I do think that decriminalization of drugs will have a positive outcome. I agree with Perez that decriminalizing drugs reduces the stigma associated with drug users. Perez mentions from minute 0:13:16 to 0:13:33, "if they are using drugs problematically, they will continue to do so. Instead, we should be focused on ensuring that people who use drugs problematically and want access to treatment have access to treatment" (Latino USA). In Oregon's case, those who wanted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs won the majority vote. Oregon has already created a pivotal change towards drug reform, and I think other states should follow suit very soon. I know some people will disagree with my stance on this political issue, but I stand by what I believe. 

Works Cited

"Decriminalizing The War on Drugs." Latino USA, 29 Jan. 2021, Capradio,

    www.capradio.org/news/latino-usa. Accessed 2 Sept. 2021.

United States, Congress, House. Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. Library of Congress, 27 Oct. 1986, 99th

    Congress, H.R.5484. www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/house-bill/5484. Accessed 2 Sept. 2021. 

Westervelt, Eric. "Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment is Now Facing the Hard Test."

    National Public Radio, 18 Jun. 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/06/18/1007022652/oregons-pioneering

    drug-decriminalization-experiment-is-now-facing-the-hard-test. Accessed 2 Sept. 2021.