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Black And White People Use Drugs At A Similar Rate. That’s Why The Last 2 Graphs Are So Shocking.
If you haven't figured out how you feel about our War on Drugs, please allow these three graphs to influence your opinion.
07.28.14
1. This first graph tells us that white and black people use drugs at very similar rates.
2. But wow, black people get arrested for drugs A LOT more.
3. Then there's this: Despite the fact that crack and cocaine are chemically identical, the prison sentencing for crack is much harsher. And perhaps not-so-coincidentally, crack use is higher among African-Americans, while white people tend to use more cocaine. If that's not messed up, I don't know what is.
Needless to say, three graphs don't tell the entire story. But they do suggest that drug policy in our country is way out of whack (to put it mildly).