In Class Write
Reed Thurman
The mass incarceration of African Americans can be attributed to many reasons. One of the major reasons, if not the number one reason, are the laws that surround drug offences. Many of the laws that were implemented during the multiple “War on Drugs”, and laws still be implemented today target African Americans and African American communities.
One of the first laws that the government passed to regulate drugs in the United States was the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act in 1909. It banned possession, importation, and use of opium for smoking in the United States. One of the next major regulations passed on drugs in America was the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937. It placed a heavy tax on the distribution of cannabis. The most major law pass, in American history, dealing with drugs was the Controlled Substance Act in 1970. Richard Nixon got this passed and it launched his “War on Drugs”. This act created five “schedules” that drugs were placed in. The drugs were classified by their potential for abuse and their potential of chemical or physical dependency. Schedule one being the highest schedule, the drugs in schedule one have a very high potential for abuse and offer no medical benefit. Schedule one drugs carry the most severe drug charges and include heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, and peyote.
Ronald Reagan declared another “War on drugs” on October 14, 1982. He said that illicit drugs were a direct threat to national security. Reagan introduced the Sentencing Reform Act in 1984 which established mandatory minimums for certain crimes. Due to this law, minor drug offenders faced lifetime consequences. The major focus on tough sentencing was on crack and non powder cocaine which targeted inner-city African American neighborhoods. Law enforcement targeted African Americans in these areas and largely ignored the rampant cocaine use among whites at the time. For a first time charge for possession of crack cocaine, there was a minimum sentence of five to ten years. These lengthy prison times for small drug offences were the reason that the African American prison population soared as they were targeted by law enforcement despite their drug usage rate being the same as whites.
This trend continues till today as most states still have lengthy minimum sentencing laws for small drug offences. In Texas someone can get two to twenty years in federal prison for a first time offence of possession of one to four grams of cocaine. These lengthy minimum prison sentences are the reason that the African American prison population is so high. Non-violent drug offenders now make up over half of people incarcerated in federal prison today, and the reason for that are lengthy
minimum sentences for small time drug offenders.
African Americans have been targeted by the “War on Drugs” dating back to the 1970’s and continue to be targeted till today. Many of the laws that were implemented during the “War on Drugs” targeted African Americans and African American communities. These reasons are the number one contributing factor to African American mass incarceration.
The mass incarceration of African Americans can be attributed to many reasons. One of the major reasons, if not the number one reason, are the laws that surround drug offences. Many of the laws that were implemented during the multiple “War on Drugs”, and laws still be implemented today target African Americans and African American communities.
One of the first laws that the government passed to regulate drugs in the United States was the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act in 1909. It banned possession, importation, and use of opium for smoking in the United States. One of the next major regulations passed on drugs in America was the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937. It placed a heavy tax on the distribution of cannabis. The most major law pass, in American history, dealing with drugs was the Controlled Substance Act in 1970. Richard Nixon got this passed and it launched his “War on Drugs”. This act created five “schedules” that drugs were placed in. The drugs were classified by their potential for abuse and their potential of chemical or physical dependency. Schedule one being the highest schedule, the drugs in schedule one have a very high potential for abuse and offer no medical benefit. Schedule one drugs carry the most severe drug charges and include heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, and peyote.
Ronald Reagan declared another “War on drugs” on October 14, 1982. He said that illicit drugs were a direct threat to national security. Reagan introduced the Sentencing Reform Act in 1984 which established mandatory minimums for certain crimes. Due to this law, minor drug offenders faced lifetime consequences. The major focus on tough sentencing was on crack and non powder cocaine which targeted inner-city African American neighborhoods. Law enforcement targeted African Americans in these areas and largely ignored the rampant cocaine use among whites at the time. For a first time charge for possession of crack cocaine, there was a minimum sentence of five to ten years. These lengthy prison times for small drug offences were the reason that the African American prison population soared as they were targeted by law enforcement despite their drug usage rate being the same as whites.
This trend continues till today as most states still have lengthy minimum sentencing laws for small drug offences. In Texas someone can get two to twenty years in federal prison for a first time offence of possession of one to four grams of cocaine. These lengthy minimum prison sentences are the reason that the African American prison population is so high. Non-violent drug offenders now make up over half of people incarcerated in federal prison today, and the reason for that are lengthy
minimum sentences for small time drug offenders.
African Americans have been targeted by the “War on Drugs” dating back to the 1970’s and continue to be targeted till today. Many of the laws that were implemented during the “War on Drugs” targeted African Americans and African American communities. These reasons are the number one contributing factor to African American mass incarceration.
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