Marijuana (Cannabis)Should Be Legalized. Release Blacks Unfairly Incarcerated. Not for Medical Use Only. It is NOT overwhelming favored by South Carolina residents. Written by Marjorie A. Gordon-DeLee, MA (Revised January 14, 2019)
During the years of my youth, there was never an issue with drug usage in the South where I was raised. I actually never heard of the word “drugs” used in the context of a recreational drug until up in the 70s and still did not really understand the excitement.
For Black people in the South, it was mainly the use of alcohol, not drugs. There was not any crime going on. No killings, gangs, people strung out on drugs or not any of that nonsense.
However, what has been disclosed through my recent research is some disturbing information on drugs and how drugs were brought into the United States and to impact the Black community negatively, all written in black and white. These drugs were brought into the United States, not by Black people, but by the American Mafia Families (History.com). Black people did not have the wealth, boats and the planes to bring these drugs in to America. Research disclosed that:
American Mafia families were caught smuggling and selling illicit drugs as early as the 1950s, in addition to gambling and other illegal activities. These organized groups paved the way for future drug cartels that focused on drugs for their revenue.
The Mafia’s participation in drug trade was sometimes known as the “French Connection” because smugglers in New York City would seize shipments of Turkish opium that arrived from Paris and Marseilles, France (History.com).
It was in 1971 when President Richard Nixon set the stage for the destruction of the Black man and the Black community:
In June 1971, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs.” He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants.
A top Nixon aide, John Ehrlichman, later admitted: “You want to know what this was really all about. The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying. We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did.” Nixon temporarily placed marijuana in Schedule One, the most restrictive category of drugs, pending review by a commission he appointed led by Republican Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer.
In 1972, the commission unanimously recommended decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use. Nixon ignored the report and rejected its recommendations (Drugpolicy.org. The Brief History of the Drug War).
So, as you can see from the above-mentioned passage referencing President Richard Nixon, that in June of 1971 the “war on drugs” was a grand attack on the blacks which caused so many blacks to be incarcerated and off the streets and out of the homes to take care of their families and continue to enjoy a loving family unit. Their mindsets were, if we cannot control you in one way and keep the upper hand, then we will scheme and go another route to keep the black man down.
Now, in the report below of the year 2016, look at all of our Blacks and the Latinos who received a mandatory minimum sentence in 2011, 38% were Latino and 31% were black who are in prison due to marijuana possession, for many of life sentencing where they should not be.
With less than 5 percent of the world’s population but nearly 25 percent of its incarcerated population, the United States imprisons more people than any other nation in the world – largely due to the war on drugs. Misguided drug laws and harsh sentencing requirements have produced profoundly unequal outcomes for people of color. Although rates of drug use and sales are similar across racial and ethnic lines, black and Latino people are far more likely to be criminalized than white people.
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Source: International Centre for Prison Studies, World Prison Brief.
Key Facts
The Drug War Drives Mass Incarceration and Racial Disparities in U.S. Judicial Systems
There were more than 1.5 million drug arrests in the U.S. in 2016. The vast majority – more than 80% – were for possession only.People of color experience discrimination at every stage of the judicial system and are more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, convicted, harshly sentenced and saddled with a lifelong criminal record. This is particularly the case for drug law violations.Research shows that prosecutors are twice as likely to pursue a mandatory minimum sentence for black people as for white people charged with the same offense. Among people who received a mandatory minimum sentence in 2011, 38% were Latino and 31% were black (Drugpolicy.org).
It was in the 1960s, as drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent, the government halted scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and efficacy (Drugpolicy.org. The Brief History of the Drug War).
Now, during this legislative session, in 2019, South Carolina wishes to legalize marijuana for the sole purpose of medical use only (thestate.com). If legalized for that purpose only, we still have blacks unjustly incarcerated (many on life sentences) due to the marijuana laws. That is not fair treatment or justice at all. Definitely showing inequality. We cannot continue to promote unfairness in South Carolina or in this world at all. It is not right. Black people are in prison for nonviolent crimes for years or life and not being able to enjoy this earth as God has intended for all human beings to experience.
SC residents favor legalizing medical pot, poll says
South Carolinians overwhelmingly support legalizing marijuana, but for medical use only – not for fun.
According to Winthrop Poll questions asked exclusively for The State newspaper, nearly 4 in 5 S.C. residents – or 78 percent – support legalizing medical marijuana.
Meanwhile, only 39 percent of South Carolinians said they support legalizing pot for recreational use, a move opposed by 54 percent of those surveyed.
The poll results are encouraging, said state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who wants the state to legalize medical marijuana (thestate.com).
How can the South Carolina State Newspaper say that South Carolina residents overwhelming favor legalizing medical pot, where as I am a South Carolina resident and I oppose legalizing medical pot only? I believe that marijuana should be totally legalized for all people to use as in Colorado and our black men and women who are incarcerated due to the current South Carolina laws on marijuana possession should be released from prison.
Reference:
Drugpolicy.org. The Drug War, Mass Incarceration and Race. Retrieved January 13, 2019 from http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/drug-war-mass-incarceration-and-race-englishspanish
Drugpolicy.org. The Brief History of the Drug War. Retrieved January 13, 2019 from http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/brief-history-drug-war
History.com. History of Drug Trafficking. Retrieved on January 13, 2019 from https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-drug-trafficking
Thestate.com. (n.d.) SC residents favor legalizing medical pot, poll says . Retrieved on January 13, 2019 from https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article105385321.html
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