The Dark Side of the Spoon
America's War on Drugs
Philip Kane
In the 1980's, when President Reagan declared the war on drugs, his intentions may have been good; but it opened the door wide open to a myriad of problems.
When drugs became illegal, suddenly they became the proverbial forbidden fruit. Drug use ramped up, led by Americans curious about what all the buzz was about.
To our youth, drugs and rock n roll became intrical to their rebellion against the system. This tragically led to an alarming number of overdoses and anti social behavior.
Adults didn't go unscathed, and countless lives were ruined; families torn apart and the word 'addiction' became a trigger word.
Drugs poured into the country from Central America and Asia, cleverly transported stateside, to avoid the watchful eyes of a new, fledgling agency known as the DEA.
Their beginnings were humble, their offices located above a seedy strip club in D.C. But after multiple big busts, the money began flowing in, and the DEA rose to be one of the most feared and powerful agencies in the country.
The government made the most of the new drug laws, and through asset forfeiture and the construction of dozens of prisons, politicians realized that with continuing fearmongering and skewed studies- there was ALOT of money to be made.
Then came the privatized prisons such as Geo, CCA and Wackenhut; serviced by corporate heavyweights like Aramark, and soon were traded publicly on the NY Stock Exchange. Human lives were traded like cattle, and still are today.
Non violent drug offenders were sentenced to draconian, lengthy prison terms; suspiciously handed down by judges who enjoyed the financial kickbacks for keeping all the new prisons full.
Case and point: A PA judge was sentenced to a lengthy term for getting caught handing out ridiculously long sentences to JUVENILE offenders. Why the tough sentences? He had made a deal with local private prisons to keep their capacity at a minimum of 85% of beds filled. Yet, the drug war continued.
In 1994, a bill was passed, differentiating crack cocaine from powder cocaine. Relatively cheap, crack roared across the nation, leaving piles of ruined lives in it's wake. Powder cocaine was predominantly used by whites, and was expensive.
The 1994 Biden supported Bill is still touted as extremely racist and unfair. The mandatory minimum sentencing for non violent crack cocaine users put many away for life, often over drug amounts equaling under a gram. Crack was predominately dealt and used by African Americans.
On the other end of the spectrum, a kilo (2.2 lbs) of powder landed dealers and users in prison for only 3 years or so, most of the offenders being white.
This was an example of the 'dark side of the spoon', and is just the tip of the iceberg dealing with the corruption of our judicial system's policy of 'non tolerance'.
The ludicrous war on drugs has been ridiculously expensive, profiting off the misery of millions and shedding a light on the lack of real rehabilitation options.
The laws are inherently racist and target the disenfranchised poor, both white and black, a perfect example of classism in the U.S.
Change and rehabilitation are the only way to get a handle on America's drug problem, and no real solutions are currently on the horizon.
P. Kane
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