The election of the first black president offered hope to millions of African-Americans across the United States. But have four years of an Obama presidency seen actual positive change for black communities in inner cities?

Nearly 30 years of drug policies have perpetuated cycles of violence and economic repression in U.S. inner cities—especially in poor, minority neighborhoods. While the "war on drugs" rages in the U.S., there is some political consensus it is failing. White House officials have even indicated a policy shift away from incarceration and toward a public health strategy.

In Baltimore, one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., the police reframed their "war on drugs" as a "war on guns." The rhetoric may have changed, but critics say nothing else has. Concentrated law enforcement has resulted in high levels of incarceration among young African-Americans and the criminalization of entire communities.

Fault Lines meets those on the front lines of the failed drug war to try to understand the fundamental interplay of race, poverty, incarceration and economics in an election year.

Original Air Date: August 21, 2012