The drug war is full of racism and
hypocrisy. It's hard to argue against that reality. People intoxicate
themselves, both illegally and legally, at much the same rates across
racial lines. Similarly, the drug trade is an equal opportunity employer
and the demographic breakdown for sellers is more or less racially
balanced. So, why do the vast majority of people who are arrested,
punished and incarcerated for drugs happen to be black or Latino?
From their inception, anti-drug laws were created and enforced in
ways that deliberately targeted minorities and marginalized people. Michelle Alexander has done an excellent job of breaking down racism and the drug war in her seminal book, "The New Jim Crow."
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