Black Coaltion to Target Drug Policies

[steve2470]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DRUG_COALITION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

BALTIMORE (AP) -- For years, many of the nation's leading black legislators, attorneys and social scientists complained that the nation's war on drugs was both ineffective and unfair.

They blamed policies arising from that war for the disproportionate number of African-Americans in prison.

But for years, little changed.

On Wednesday, a dozen African-American professional groups announced the creation of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, hoping to spark reform with a two-pronged approach: In a handful of cities, including Baltimore, they plan to advise judges to offer treatment rather than prison sentences for drug crimes and to push education and prevention in communities.


Nationally, they hope to launch a debate that will propel lawmakers to change mandatory minimum-sentencing laws that the coalition complains unfairly hurt blacks and other minorities.

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[Paleocon]

1. If you legalize drugs you eliminate a lot of crime....

Just a thought...

[Solon]

2. Yep and free up non-violent from prisons...

so you can put real criminals, rapists, murderers, etc. in prison without having to worry about early parole to free up space for a joint smoker.

[Paleocon]

3. Now that's radical thinking... That could never work... LOL...

Oh well... We can dream...

[qwlauren35]

4. Thank goodness...

Tell me where to send my money. These folks are going to need SERIOUS bucks to get their point across.

The drug trade is huge, and preventing drug use will RUIN lots of people financially (too f*cking bad!). I have no doubt that there will be resistance to this very humane and reasonable Coalition.

Now me, I'd just like to see the cocaine users and dealers locked up next to the crack users, under the EXACT SAME SENTENCING LAWS. A TON of white folks would end up in jail if that happened... but we know it won't.

This subject brings out the cynic in me...