Issue: The War on Drugs has been called a war on people of color, the new Jim Crow, and according to retired Chief of the Seattle Police Department Norm Stamper, “the most dysfunctional policy since slavery.” Although the increased rate of incarceration in the United States, and particularly of nonviolent drug offenders, has caused concern among various factions, the idea of changing the emphasis of drug policy from law enforcement to public health is controversial.
Background: Drug addiction, drug selling, and the direct effects of incarceration are tearing apart communities of color. However, the answers offered by the government — increased arrests and more police — beg the question: “Will more of the same enforcement bring a change?” We know that once a person is brought into the criminal court system, a number of significant barriers arise. The disruption of incarceration, the driver’s license suspensions, the fines associated with courts, the exclusion from loans and subsidized housing, and the difficulty of obtaining employment are just some of them. Thus, changing the way we deal with the underlying issues to a public health model should be considered more seriously.
Looking at drug addiction from a public health model is not so difficult to imagine. Treatment on demand, both inpatient and outpatient, would be the defining quality of this model. The current practice of shuttling people through the court system, where access to treatment is guarded by the state, should cause us concern. “Accountability” is the word generally used by the state to justify the court’s overseeing of treatment courts. “Accountability,” however, is often a euphemism for incarceration. Until we begin to question the effectiveness of placing people in custody for this disease of drug addiction, we will continue to spend an inordinate amount of our budget, over 70 percent in King County, on an ineffective public safety model.
Allowing for a public health model would also begin to address many of the issues facing our communities of color. If people are selling narcotics in our communities, we have to ask why. The financial incentive to sell drugs is so great that people are willing to subject themselves to the likelihood that they will be incarcerated. What if there were no money to be made in selling drugs? Are we willing to start that discussion in an honest manner, or will we decry the effects of the War on Drugs without questioning the financial incentives for law enforcement and those who sell drugs?
Action: There are few public forums where the ineffectiveness of the War on Drugs is discussed openly. However, on Thurs., May 17, at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center from 6:30-8:30 p.m., such a discussion will occur. The community panel will feature Stamper and King County Councilmember Larry Gossett. It’s free of charge, with dinner and childcare provided. Please join us on the evening of May 17 to address the failed War on Drugs.
Call to Action courtesy of the Racial Disparity Project of the Defender Association.