Nick Shereikis

Racism Reflection Essay

Word Count: 1,456
This Is Your Nation on Drugs
Though the U.S. represents only five percent of the global population, it holds 25 percent of the
world's prisoners (Huffington Post). Out of that, around 750,000 people are arrested for marijuana each
year, 650,000 of which are prosecuted on possession charges alone (Huffington Post). And even though
African-Americans comprise only 14 percent of all drug users, they are almost four times as likely to be
arrested on marijuana charges as whites (Truth-Out.org). Since the war on drugs began roughly 80 years
ago, billions of dollars have been wasted by the United States federal government on racially biased
arrests and the time has come for marijuana reform through the re-evaluation of the drug's classification,
the cutting of federal grants to local law enforcement agencies, or even the legalization of marijuana.
The war on drugs was the brainchild of Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal
Bureau of Narcotics. Anslinger was a strong proponent of openly using racism to demonize marijuana,
going so far as to say "reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men" (Huffington Post).
Anslinger also fabricated multiple surveys and reports in order to convince people that his new policies
were working, even as southern lawmakers began implementing marijuana legislation through the
explicitly racist Jim Crow system.
Although marijuana laws today are maybe less overtly racist as they were 80 years ago, they still
target minority groups; specifically African-Americans. According to a 2013 American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) report, blacks are arrested at a higher rate than whites for marijuana possession in more
than two-thirds of the country. In terms of jail sentences, African-Americans prosecuted on marijuana
offenses serve almost as much time in federal prison as whites who are prosecuted for severe violence do
(Truth-Out.org). Additionally, the ACLU report shows that although marijuana-related arrests have in fact
risen dramatically over the past decade, the arrest rate for whites remained constant. This means that the
only impact this war on drugs is having is on minority communities, and predominantly black ones.
One of the biggest issues with marijuana policies is the harsh classification of the drug. Marijuana
is categorized by the federal government as a Schedule I substance, alongside heroin, ecstasy, and LSD.
According to the federal government, marijuana is one of the "most dangerous drugs of all with
potentially severe psychological or physical dependence," even though studies have yet to show any
correlation between weed and negative psychological effects, or between weed and the use of harder
drugs (Drug Policy Alliance).
Although there are many people speaking out (including names such as Cory Booker, Jesse
Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Morgan Freeman) there is one powerful African-American leader noticeably

Nick Shereikis
Racism Reflection Essay
Word Count: 1,456
missing from the marijuana legislation discussion: President Barack Obama. Because of his past history
with marijuana, President Obama is not really in a good position to talk about legalizing the drug.
However, the Obama administration has done more than stay silent on the issue. It has also actively
blocked marijuana reform at almost every step in the process, even going so far as to "close down more
state-legal medical marijuana providers in one term than were shuttered by the feds during two terms of
the Bush administration" (Huffington Post). At some level, it's sadly ironic that the marijuana laws that
explicitly target minority youth are being defended by the nation's first African-American president.
Now, some of the blame for this can be laid at the feet of personnel in local law enforcement
agencies. After all, this is where the problem is most evident. Racism at this level is so bad that it extends
past racially motivated drug arrests all the way to racially influenced shootings, like those of Trayvon
Martin and Michael Brown. But the fault lies not only in the actions of local police officers, but in large
part with the U.S. federal government. According to the ACLU report, federal prosecution of marijuana
offenses is on the rise. This shows that although local law enforcement agencies and personnel are in
some part at fault, much of the problem stems from the federal government. In a telephone interview with
the Huffington Post, the ACLU's Ezekiel Edwards blamed federal grant programs that incentivize local
agencies to make as many drug arrests as possible. According to Edwards, President Obama needs "to do
a better job of making sure that federal money is not going to police agencies that are wasting it making
racially biased marijuana arrests." The federal government is also to blame for the harsh classification of
the drug.
If we ever see any change, it will have to come from the top. President Obama cannot afford to
ignore or dismiss the growing concern over marijuana laws anymore. As someone who has experimented
heavily with the drug in his past, Obama will take a lot of flak for speaking about the legalization of pot.
But that's to be expected. By defending the legislation like he is now, all Obama is doing is playing
directly into the hands of conservative policymakers. It is time for Obama to realize that the effect these
racially motivated laws are having on our nation won't improve without support from the supposedly most
powerful man in America. Obama needs to address marijuana legislation reform if anything is to get
better.
Once this happens, the door is opened for more specific reform. Most obvious is re-evaluation of
marijuana classification. Although the dependency rate for marijuana is lower than that of heroin or LSD,
it is still treated just as harshly as the other two (Drug Policy Alliance). Both the short-term and long-term
effects of marijuana are less severe than those of heroin or LSD, as well. So why are the consequences so
harsh for the possession or use or marijuana? Well, in order to prosecute more non-white American

Nick Shereikis
Racism Reflection Essay
Word Count: 1,456
youths. This will also decrease federal prosecution of marijuana offenses, leading to a less racially
influenced legal system. In any plan to lower racism inherent in U.S. drug policy, re-evaluating marijuana
must be the first step. And with support from President Obama and growing pressure from the public, it
shouldn't be too hard to initiate.
Secondly, the federal government needs to begin cutting grant programs that throw
money at local law enforcement agencies. By giving millions of dollars in grant money without
monitoring what that money is used for, the federal government is giving local agencies almost
completely unsupervised power over their respective communities. As Ezekiel Edwards told the
Huffington Post, the enormous amounts of money being sent to these agencies is putting pressure on them
to make more drug arrests (in order to show that the grant money is necessary). And that means more
arrests for relatively inconsequential reasons, specifically those related to race. By cutting federal grant
money to local agencies, the U.S. government can reduce the pressure on these agencies and therefore
reduce the number of racially influenced drug arrests.
The other option to fix this problem is go the route that Colorado and Washington have, and
legalize marijuana in certain amounts. If this happens, arrests related to marijuana specifically should
decrease significantly, if not completely halt. Minority-targeted arrests will still be made, of course, but
not on the basis of the explicitly racist marijuana laws that currently permeate our society. However, this
option will provoke a far greater resistance and outcry than either the re-classification of marijuana or the
cutting of federal grant programs will, and is therefore a less probable choice. This is a good goal for the
future, but it's probably implausible in current times.
When all's said and done, marijuana related policies play a large part in the subjugation of
minorities across the nation. As a nation that houses 25% of the world's inmates, a serious reform of drug
classification and federal grant programs is called for, if not the legalization of marijuana. At bare
minimum, President Obama needs to begin addressing the racially biased laws that are evident throughout
the nation's communities and legal system. In renowned actor Morgan Freeman's words, marijuana
prohibition is "just the stupidest law possible."

Nick Shereikis
Racism Reflection Essay
Word Count: 1,456

Bibliography
ACLU. "Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests." American Civil Liberties Union.
ACLU, 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <https://www.aclu.org/billions-dollars-wastedracially-biased-arrests>.
Angell, Tom. "ACLU Report: Racist Marijuana Laws Target Blacks." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 June 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-angell/racist-marijuana-laws_b_3383580.html>.
Drug Policy Alliance. "Race and the Drug War." Drug Policy Alliance. Drug Policy Alliance,
2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://www.drugpolicy.org/race-and-drug-war>.
Karlin, Mark. "Packing Jails With Minorities for Marijuana Violations Is Racist." Buzzflash.
Truth-Out.org, 19 June 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://www.truthout.org/buzzflash/commentary/packing-jails-with-minorities-for-marijuana-violationsis-racist/18039-packing-jails-with-minorities-for-marijuana-violations-is-racist>.
Wing, Nick. "Marijuana Prohibition Was Racist From The Start. Not Much Has Changed." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/marijuana-prohibitionracist_n_4590190.html>.