Facts About the War on Drugs

I always want to post more about the failing war on drugs. Here, is a quick post listing some disturbing facts, inspired by a fact sheet released recently by the Drug Policy Alliance calling the War on Drugs the new Jim Crow Laws.

Marijuana - 74% of users of cannabis are white. Only 14% of cannabis users are black. Why is it then that 30% of marijuana arrests are African Americans?

One in Fourteen African American children has a parent in prison and 1 in 3 black men will have contact with the criminal justice system in their lifetime.

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS among African Americans can also be at least partly attributed to failed drug policies. First of all, needle exchange programs for heroine users has been an effective tool in stopping the spread of disease in the very few locations that such programs have been set up. A number of laws have stopped state and local governments from using their federal drug prevention funds on needle exchange programs. In Washington DC injecting drugs is the most common form of transmission of HIV among women and the second most common among men. One in twenty DC residents are HIV positive.

Also, prison conditions, such as poor health care, very limited access to condoms, and lack of response to sexual violence only act to increase HIV in prisons.

The source for the info above and more info can be found right here.