Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The War on Drugs is a War on the Poor Essay - 1265 Words

The â€Å"War on Drugs has been so terribly ineffective that it leads one to question its true motives. Even a dog can eventually learn from an electric fence, so why not the United States government? Is the goal really to curtail drug use, or is it to segregate society and vilify the disadvantaged? A combination of mandatory minimum sentencing and other unjust laws has led to an enormous rise in U.S. prison populations. Thanks to these laws, 60 percent of the federal prison population consisted of nonviolent drug offenders as of 1999. In 1997, about twice as many people were arrested for drug offenses as for violent crimes. As a result, the U.S. incarceration rate is now six to ten times higher than in most industrialized†¦show more content†¦According to the U.S. Department of Justice, African Americans comprise approximately 13 percent of the population and 13 percent of all drug users. Yet strangely enough, more than 55 percent of those convicted for drug offenses are African American. Indeed, the U.S. police and judicial forces in tandem maintain one of the oldest affirmative action policies in the country. This affirmative action policy ensures that a disproportionate number of blacks are convicted of drug crimes, despite the fact that their drug use is only average among the country as a whole. According to Human Rights Watch, these drug laws violate international human rights treaties because they have the effect of restricting rights on the basis of race. Facing accusation of human rights violations from abroad, one would expect our government to make some effort to curb such discrimination. But instead an even more stringent and discriminatory drug law was introduced last year. By the amendment to the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1998, those convicted for drug use are barred from financial aid for a year. After two convictions, they are barred from aid for two years, and after three, they are barred permanently. This law was enforced on an honor system; students had to declare their convictions on financial aid forms. The law went into effect this past fall, and as a result, 7000 students lost theirShow MoreRelated America And The War On Drugs Essay1216 Words   |  5 PagesColumbia, when they have their own problems with drugs? The Untied States of America has a rather large drug trafficking problem but compared to Columbia it is fairly small. To help Columbia solve their problem the U.S. senate has decided to send troops over there and take control. This new involvement will have many consequences in and what can you make for instance the cost of a war, the loss and gain of jobs, and physical side effects. 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