Drugs And Drugs: Two Misconceptions Of The War On Drugs

Adolph Lyons, a twenty-four year old African-American, was pulled over by four police officers with guns drawn, simply because he had a burned-out taillight. Lyons was ordered out of his vehicle, told to face the car, spread his legs and put his hands on his head. He obeyed. When Lyons complained about the car keys he was holding were causing him pain, an officer put Lyons into a chokehold and he lost consciousness. Lyons woke up coughing up blood, had defecated himself and suffered permanent damage to his larynx. The officer issued Lyons a traffic ticket for the burned-out taillight as a means to justify the officer’s action. Welcome to the war on drugs, where both male African-Americans and Latinos are subjected to traffic stops and a variety

One, the drug war is aimed at eliminating big-time drug dealers. Two, the war on drugs is eradicating dangerous drugs. Throughout the book, Alexander refuted both of these common misconceptions about the war on drugs. According to study conducted by Ryan King and Marc Meur, they found 80 percent of drug arrest in the 1990s was for marijuana. While it is arguable marijuana is far less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, is it is illegal and people should not do it. However, what is interesting about marijuana is the stigma associated with it. According to Alexander, marijuana was seen as a fearsome drug when associated with African-Americans and Latinos but was less stigmatizing when associated with Caucasians. According to book titled Unequal Under Law: Race and the War on Drugs, author Doris Marie Provine said “punishment becomes more severe when drug use is associated with people of color but softens when it is associated with whites.” An example of crime that becomes “softer” when associated with whites is drunk driving. According to The Crack Attack: America’s Latest Scare, drunk drivers accounted for 22,000 deaths in 1989. In addition to that, about 100,000 alcohol-related deaths occurred that same year. The author, Craig Reinarman, compared that statistic to the number of deaths from AIDS, drug overdose and violence associated with illegal drug trade and all three accounted for only 21,000 deaths. Drunk driving crimes are usually committed primarily by white males. According to the book, The Crack Attack: America’s Latest Scare, 78 percent of drunk drivers during 1990 were white males. During 1990, new mandatory minimums charges were created where drivers could either receive fines, license suspension, complete community service or sentenced to only two days in jail for their first offense. While on the other hand individuals who had crack cocaine, which is seen as a