Law Enforcement Should Deter Racial Injustice - 1341 Words

Communities of color are portrayed as drug handlers when in actuality there is an estimate of about 80 million Caucasian drug users compared to 15 million African American users according to the Substance of Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Fellner 3). Although opposing arguments would argue that the white population is six times greater than the black population, the absolute number of white drug offenders is far greater than that of black drug offenders (Fellner 6). But, with racial dynamics and social media’s part in shaping of what a drug offender would appear like, most would not picture a white middle-class man snorting cocaine. Because of this, â€Å"race has been and remains inextricably involved in drug law†¦show more content†¦The centerpiece of this public relations campaign was a new rhetorical strategy that sought to demonize drugs and ostracize drug users. Presidents Bush and Clinton continued the Reagan administration s anti-drug polici es. President Bush established a national office of drug policy, appointed a drug czar, increased anti-drug spending and intensified drug law enforcement efforts (Beckett 9). President Clinton, for his part, increased the anti-drug budget by twenty-five percent, proposed expanded drug testing rules and intensified efforts toward drug interdiction and prosecution (McCabe 4). No matter who has occupied the executive branch, the United States has pursued the same overall policies throughout the drug war. Anti-drug policies can be separated into two general camps, supply-reduction and demand-reduction’ (McCabe 5). Supply-reduction strategies seek to reduce the availability of drugs by limiting access to drug sources and increasing the risks of drug possession and distribution. Demand-reduction strategies, on the other hand, seek to reduce demand for illegal drugs through drug use prevention and treatment. The rhetoric of war helped shape the strategies that were used to combat the perceived drug threat. The Reagan administration embraced a supply-reduction strategy focusing on interdiction, seizure and criminal prosecution, rather