After decades of minorities being unfairly targeted by law enforcement, all in the name of the drug war, the NAACP has passed a resolution that hopefully is a new beginning for US drug policy – putting an end to the drug war!
Why it took the NAACP so long to join the voices condemning the epic failure of the drug war is not clear. I suppose it was because they did not think it wise to wade into a debate over legalizing drug use and distribution. I guess they could not stand by any longer and ignore the most important civil rights battle the NAACP has had to fight since the civil rights battles of the 60′s.
Nothing in recent history has harmed the colored community more than the drug war. Much like the harm done to Native Americans when the US was being settled, the damage that has been done by the drug war is going to take many generations to undo. And that work can’t begin until the current drug laws are abolished and branded a complete failure so nobody ever considers going back to them.
Studies show that all racial groups abuse drugs at similar rates, but the numbers also show that African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color are stopped, searched, arrested, charged, convicted, and sent to prison for drug-related charges at a much higher rate,” stated Alice Huffman, President of the California State Conference of the NAACP. “This dual system of drug law enforcement that serves to keep African-Americans and other minorities under lock and key and in prison must be exposed and eradicated.
