The War on Drugs
- Black Americans represent 13% of the population in the U.S. and about the same percentage of drug users, but they represent 44% of those incarcerated for drug crimes.
- Today, there are more people behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses than were incarcerated for all crimes, violent or otherwise, in 1970.
- The penalty for possessing crack cocaine is about 18 times more than possessing powdered cocaine. The only difference being that crack cocaine contains baking soda and water.
- Today, 2.7 million children in America have a parent behind bars. These children are more likely to be incarcerated during their lifetime than other children.
How do these statistics come to be? Has the War on Drugs ever been about drugs? We'd like to hear your thoughts below. Be honest. Be bold. Be you. However, we also ask that you be courteous and stick to the issues. No personal digs. We want everyone to feel comfortable participating. And if you go there, we won't be afraid to take your comment off here. That simple. Now, let's talk!
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