7 ms·

This whole clusterfuck is thanks to Reagans (Nancy and Reagan). Prior to the 80's "War On Drugs", it was only an offence to MAKE drugs. In Prohibition, only th

by kefka 10y ago

This whole clusterfuck is thanks to Reagans (Nancy and Reagan). Prior to the 80's "War On Drugs", it was only an offence to MAKE drugs. In Prohibition, only those who made alcohol were violating the law. You could still possess and drink it. That's why Speakeasys were a thing. Fast-forward to the Drug war. And now, even a single pill is enough for a felony. Sure makes sorting out "undesirables" easier. And Harry Anslinger back in the late 30's put a fine point on it. _______________________ " “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.” “…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” “Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.” “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” “Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing” “You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.” “Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”" _______________________ Crazy, I say! These negroes think they're somehow equal to us whites! All I can do is shake my head, and wonder why such an obvious racial discrimination with regards to culture is still banned today. We got rid of the "colored water fountains"....

rangibaby 10y ago
The genesis of the War on Drugs was Richard Nixon wanting a way to harass blacks and hippies
- Symmetry 10y ago
  More as a way to appear to be doing something about increasing crime rates. Hitting people he didn't like was just icing.
  - warfangle 10y ago
    > “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.” John Ehrlichman, Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under Nixon. http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/ http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/
- int_19h 10y ago
  Nixon is definitely to blame for starting the whole thing, but practically every administration since than has contributed - and not just Republicans. For example, you know that progressive darling, Joe Biden? Well, that guy has been instrumental in expanding civil asset forfeiture in collaboration with the Reagan administration, which put in place the economic underpinning of the whole "war on drugs" thing that makes the law enforcement agencies so heavily invested in continued prosecution of it. He was also behind the "COPS" program, which evolved into the present system of police departments militarizing by acquiring surplus and retired equipment from the military, all funded by the feds.
microcolonel 10y ago
The only drug that leads to both pacifism and violence. That said, War on Drugs was Nixon; and it was incredibly popular with people who would show up to vote, which is likely why Reagan let his wife get on the bandwagon and didn't fight it.
pc86 10y ago
Just because $policy has a disproportionate effect on one race or another doesn't make $policy racist or mean that we should abolish it. The reasons why marijuana should be legal have nothing to do with racially disproportionate effects of enforcement.
- dannypgh 10y ago
  There are multiple definitions/types of racism, but one of the most significant ones to enter discourse and study in the 1960s was institutional racism, which more or less defines policies that are disproportionately being used to affect one race as racist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism
  - pc86 10y ago
    My point was that there is a difference between a policy used to negatively impact one race and a policy that happens to negatively impact one race. Statistical anomalies and/or demographic trends are not racist.
    - sp332 10y ago
      What is the difference? The state is enforcing racial inequality either way.
    - dannypgh 10y ago
      ...what? That people of color are more likely to be arrested, convicted, or sentenced to prison for drug crimes than white people, despite comparable levels of drug use, is most certainly an example of racism in our society. "Demographic trends" There's a rich history of redlining and discriminatory housing practices, which is why communities still tend to be racially segregated. By concentrating police activity on these neighborhoods- perhaps a decision often made today by looking at maps that show rates of arrests- you get a feedback loop or cops arresting people of color in predominately minority neighborhoods, because cops were able to do a bunch of that before. In sum it ends up being institutionally racist, even though there may not have been any intentionally racist decision making throughout the way. There are of course plenty of solutions, but not arresting lots of people for common harmless activity is a good start. Not focusing all policing around areas with the highest arrest rate would be progress. Figuring out how to desegregate neighborhoods would also be useful. The status quo, however, defaults to racism, which is why institutional racism is so insidious.
tjic 10y ago
> This whole clusterfuck is thanks to Reagans (Nancy and Reagan). No, the war on drugs started during the same Progressive era that pushed alcohol prohibition and eugenics. The "controlling what people do with their lives" ball really got rolling under Wilson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States#Criminalization_.281900s.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_t...
- M_Grey 10y ago
  The actual "War" on drugs was started by Nixon.
toss1941 10y ago
Where do those quotes come from?

by kefka 10y ago

rangibaby 10y ago

The genesis of the War on Drugs was Richard Nixon wanting a way to harass blacks and hippies

Symmetry 10y ago
More as a way to appear to be doing something about increasing crime rates. Hitting people he didn't like was just icing.
- warfangle 10y ago
  > “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.” John Ehrlichman, Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under Nixon. http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/ http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/
int_19h 10y ago
Nixon is definitely to blame for starting the whole thing, but practically every administration since than has contributed - and not just Republicans. For example, you know that progressive darling, Joe Biden? Well, that guy has been instrumental in expanding civil asset forfeiture in collaboration with the Reagan administration, which put in place the economic underpinning of the whole "war on drugs" thing that makes the law enforcement agencies so heavily invested in continued prosecution of it. He was also behind the "COPS" program, which evolved into the present system of police departments militarizing by acquiring surplus and retired equipment from the military, all funded by the feds.

microcolonel 10y ago

The only drug that leads to both pacifism and violence. That said, War on Drugs was Nixon; and it was incredibly popular with people who would show up to vote, which is likely why Reagan let his wife get on the bandwagon and didn't fight it.

pc86 10y ago

Just because $policy has a disproportionate effect on one race or another doesn't make $policy racist or mean that we should abolish it. The reasons why marijuana should be legal have nothing to do with racially disproportionate effects of enforcement.

dannypgh 10y ago
There are multiple definitions/types of racism, but one of the most significant ones to enter discourse and study in the 1960s was institutional racism, which more or less defines policies that are disproportionately being used to affect one race as racist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism
- pc86 10y ago
  My point was that there is a difference between a policy used to negatively impact one race and a policy that happens to negatively impact one race. Statistical anomalies and/or demographic trends are not racist.
  - sp332 10y ago
    What is the difference? The state is enforcing racial inequality either way.
  - dannypgh 10y ago
    ...what? That people of color are more likely to be arrested, convicted, or sentenced to prison for drug crimes than white people, despite comparable levels of drug use, is most certainly an example of racism in our society. "Demographic trends" There's a rich history of redlining and discriminatory housing practices, which is why communities still tend to be racially segregated. By concentrating police activity on these neighborhoods- perhaps a decision often made today by looking at maps that show rates of arrests- you get a feedback loop or cops arresting people of color in predominately minority neighborhoods, because cops were able to do a bunch of that before. In sum it ends up being institutionally racist, even though there may not have been any intentionally racist decision making throughout the way. There are of course plenty of solutions, but not arresting lots of people for common harmless activity is a good start. Not focusing all policing around areas with the highest arrest rate would be progress. Figuring out how to desegregate neighborhoods would also be useful. The status quo, however, defaults to racism, which is why institutional racism is so insidious.

tjic 10y ago

> This whole clusterfuck is thanks to Reagans (Nancy and Reagan). No, the war on drugs started during the same Progressive era that pushed alcohol prohibition and eugenics. The "controlling what people do with their lives" ball really got rolling under Wilson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States#Criminalization_.281900s.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_t...

M_Grey 10y ago
The actual "War" on drugs was started by Nixon.

toss1941 10y ago

Where do those quotes come from?