News » Prop 19: Is Legalization a Civil Right?





Alice Huffman, the president of the California State NAACP, makes the argument that the “war on drugs” disproportionately affects minority youths in an Op Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle. In California there is consistent evidence that whites use marijuana at higher rates than blacks, however blacks are doubly, triply, or even quadruply likely to be arrested on a marijuana offense, she says.

The stigma that can result from a drug arrest and conviction can adversely affect a person’s future, often preventing them from getting an education or making a decent salary. With minorities making up a larger percentage of arrests, the currently policies encourage the imposition of Jim Crow justice, furthering the cycle of social and economic depression.

In offering their support for Prop 19, the NAACP of California rejects the notion that there are only two choices for dealing with the drug problems in America: heavy-handed law enforcement, or total permissiveness. By redirecting funds previously spent fighting this war, we can spend more on public health and safety strategies that will benefit our whole society. They believe that history has shown we are not winning the war on drugs, and by continuing it we risk another generation of young men and women.

[source San Francisco Chronicle ]

Tags: California, civil rights, legalization, NAACP, Prop 19