I agree that claims of racism are overused, but there's a plausible case that existing drug laws have a racial bias built into them. The penalties for crack cocaine are generally much higher for a comparable effect than for powder cocaine, though the federal disparity was reduced in 2010. Powder cocaine is relatively more often used by whites and crack by blacks. The disparity arose from a moral panic over crack in the eighties, facilitated by the largely black usage of it.
Does this mean the law is "racist"? That's arguable, but it's reasonable to say there has been a race-related bias in the law.
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Date: 2020-08-24 09:35 pm (UTC)Does this mean the law is "racist"? That's arguable, but it's reasonable to say there has been a race-related bias in the law.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-an-early-biden-crime-bill-created-the-sentencing-disparity-for-crack-and-cocaine-trafficking/2019/07/28/5cbb4c98-9dcf-11e9-85d6-5211733f92c7_story.html