Active Now

Spunky
my2cents
Discussion » Questions » Education » Why is it that in America today, a white person arrested for possession of powerful opiates like heroin or fentanyl, is less likely to face jail-time than a black person

Why is it that in America today, a white person arrested for possession of powerful opiates like heroin or fentanyl, is less likely to face jail-time than a black person

who is arrested for having a dime-bag of marijuana? 

Posted - July 10, 2016

Responses


  • 44690

    A dime bag?? Have you been hibernating for 40 years? !0 bucks would barely buy enough for one joint. The good stuff is 200 an ounce minimum.

      July 10, 2016 11:59 AM MDT
    0

  • 1523

    I don't believe that is true.

      July 10, 2016 12:05 PM MDT
    0

  • 1113
    Is that the case?
      July 10, 2016 12:05 PM MDT
    0

  • 3934

    Because the "War on Drugs" has always been the (Occasional) War on (Some) Drugs (which are predominantly consumed by poor/urban/ethnic people).

    A Nixon White House aid admitted to a journalist that the "War on Drugs" was kicked off (at that time the focus was heroin) to demonize the young/poor/urban/ethnic supporters of Nixon's political opponents. Over time, the focus of the "war" shifted to marijuana, then crack cocaine (while the rich/famous did lines of powdered coke in Studio 54), then methamphetamine, and now it's shifting back to heroin again. Note how each of those shifts corresponded to whatever drug was predominant in poor/minority communities.

    Meanwhile, nearly a half-million Americans die each year to tobacco-related diseases, about 90,000 die from alcohol, and about 20,000 die from prescription opiods.

    But confiscating drug-dealer assets makes police departments money and putting "drug fiends" in the slammer makes political careers for local prosecutors, so the racket keeps going.

      July 10, 2016 12:15 PM MDT
    0

  • 22891

    not sure why

      July 10, 2016 6:40 PM MDT
    0

  • 17628

    The laws are different in the states.  There's a whole lot of difference in getting caught in Alabama and getting caught in California.  If you want to post a question like this, you need to say which state you are talking about because no two have the same laws.

      July 10, 2016 7:05 PM MDT
    0

  • 46117

    You gotta be kidding.  You got the money honey?  They get you off.  They don't care if you are purple.   And you better bring a lot of money.  Otherwise, you have a black mark and jail time.

      July 10, 2016 7:09 PM MDT
    0