Marijuana Fact And Fiction Essay
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When and where will the senseless persecutions of America’s Marijuana users end? These Marijuana smokers are typically middle class males, between the ages of 17 and 39, and one in three have no prior felony charges on their records. (HRW World Report) However, each year, hundreds of thousands of them are arrested and thrown into jail, alongside murderers, rapists, and child molesters.
The “Marihuana Tax Act” was passed in August 1937, and took effect on October 1, an incident which would forever change the country. The main reason behind the ban placed upon Marijuana was the same as most other drug prohibitions – the oppression of minorities. Case in point, the first anti-drug law on record in the United States was passed in San Francisco in 1875. Opium was outlawed at that time due to concerns that Chinese immigrants who used the drug were “ruining” white women by associating with them in Opium dens. (Schaffer sec. 1)
Cocaine was outlawed soon after when concerns were raised of what even newspapers of the time deemed “Negro Cocaine Fiends” or “Cocainized Niggers.” These allegations came about when African-Americans used the drug and allegedly raped and murdered white women. (Schaffer sec. 1) As a matter of fact there were no officially recorded incidents such as those that were suggested.
Marijuana was outlawed to target Mexican immigrants who used the drug recreationally. According to Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger, Marijuana had a “violent effect on the degenerate races.” As you can see, the main reason most drugs are outlawed is not for health concerns or actual crimes related to the drug, but instead because egotistical white males got the idea that they could hurt minorities with their laws.
Today, the racism continues, with drug laws that target minorities – specifically young African-American males. Although white drug users outnumber blacks by 5 to 1, and blacks only make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, over 62 percent of prisoners incarcerated for drug related charges are black. (ABC) This alarming statistic shows the blatant racism of the “War on Drugs”, which is more a war on blacks than drugs.
Between the years of 1970 and 1998, over 11.5 million people were incarcerated for acts ranging from simple possession of Marijuana, to sale and manufacture of Marijuana – a category that encompasses all charges related to growing, distribution, and cultivation. 87 percent of all arrests were for possession, while 13 percent of arrests were for sale/manufacture. (NORML)
Our prisons are so overcrowded that approximately 24 states are under Federal orders to set some prisoners free. There are over 1.5 million people in Federal, State, and local correctional facilities at the time of this paper’s writing. Yet, the War on Drugs continues, and if its “ultimate goal” is reached – the incarceration of every drug user, dealer, and grower, there will be approximately 30 million more people in our prisons....
ABC News. “War on Drugs, by Race?” Associated Press. 8 Jun 2000Basic Facts about the War on Drugs. Schaffer, Clifford A. 8 Sept. 2000
HRW World Report. “Drugs and Human Rights.” 10 Sept. 2000
NORML. “Portland NORML News” 24 Nov. 1998
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